Match the following List – P (Directive Principles) with List – R (Articles) : List – P – List – R A. Equal justice and free legal aid – I. Article 48 A B. Protection of the environment – II. Article 39 A C. Right to Work – III. Article 41 D. Protection of Monuments – IV. Article 49 Select correct option :

Correct — option (2), A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV.

Each principle in List – P has its own Article in Part IV of the Constitution, the Directive Principles of State Policy.

A. Equal justice and free legal aid is Article 39A (II). The State is to secure that the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, and to provide free legal aid.

B. Protection of the environment is Article 48A (I): "The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country."

C. The right to work is Article 41 (III). The same Article covers the right to education, and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and other cases of undeserved want — all within the limits of the State's economic capacity and development.

D. Protection of monuments is Article 49 (IV): the State must protect monuments, places and objects of artistic or historic interest declared to be of national importance.

That reads A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV. Articles 39A and 48A were both inserted by the Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976; Articles 41 and 49 were part of the original Constitution.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  A-I, B-III, C-IV, D-II — This code gets every pair wrong. It puts free legal aid at Article 48A (the environment), the environment at Article 41 (the right to work), the right to work at Article 49 (monuments) and monuments at Article 39A (free legal aid).

  Each of the four Articles is used, but none against its own principle.

• (3)
  A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II — Only B-I is right here: Article 48A is the environment provision.

  The other three pairs are wrong. The code sends free legal aid to Article 41, the right to work to Article 49, and monuments to Article 39A.

• (4)
  A-II, B-III, C-I, D-IV — This code gets A and D right — free legal aid at Article 39A and monuments at Article 49 — but swaps B and C.

  The environment is Article 48A, not Article 41; the right to work is Article 41, not Article 48A.

The Directive Principles of State Policy are in Part IV of the Constitution. Article 37 says they "shall not be enforceable by any court", but are "fundamental in the governance of the country", and the State has a duty to apply them in making laws.

Part IV has grown since 1950. The Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976 inserted Articles 39A, 43A and 48A with effect from 3 January 1977. The Ninety-seventh Amendment Act, 2011 inserted Article 43B on co-operative societies.

Some Articles join several ideas. Article 41 combines the right to work with education and public assistance; Article 48A combines the environment with forests and wild life.

Article 39A has a statute behind it: Parliament gave effect to free legal aid through the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Key facts

• Article 39A, equal justice and free legal aid, was inserted by the Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976, with effect from 3 January 1977.
• Article 41: right to work, to education and to public assistance in certain cases, within the limits of the State's economic capacity.
• Article 48A, protection of the environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life, was also inserted by the Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976.
• Article 49: the State must protect monuments, places and objects of artistic or historic interest declared to be of national importance.
• Article 37: Directive Principles are not enforceable by any court but are fundamental in the governance of the country.

Common traps

• Matching by the letter alone. Articles 39A and 48A both carry an "A", but 39A is free legal aid and 48A is the environment.
• Confusing Article 48 with Article 48A. Article 48 is agriculture and animal husbandry; Article 48A is the environment, forests and wild life.
• Swapping Articles 41 and 48A, as option (4) does. The right to work is Article 41; the environment is Article 48A.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which Article of the Constitution of India says that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country?

  • (a)Article 48
  • (b)Article 48A
  • (c)Article 51A(g)
  • (d)Article 49
  Answer(2) — Article 48A is the Directive Principle on the environment. Article 48 (1) is agriculture and animal husbandry. Article 51A(g) (3) makes protecting the environment a Fundamental Duty of every citizen, not a direction to the State. Article 49 (4) is protection of monuments.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which one of the following pairs of Directive Principle and Article is correctly matched?

  • (a)Right to work – Article 39A
  • (b)Equal justice and free legal aid – Article 39A
  • (c)Protection of monuments – Article 48A
  • (d)Protection of the environment – Article 41
  Answer(2) — Article 39A provides for equal justice and free legal aid. The right to work (1) is Article 41, protection of monuments (3) is Article 49, and protection of the environment (4) is Article 48A.