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THE CONSTITUTION, MADE UNDERSTANDABLE

Article 39
Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State

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Source edition: as on 1 May 2026. Omitted and struck-down reference entries remain labelled. Open the authoritative PDF ↗

Article 39 / Part IV

Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State

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Plain languageOfficial textPurpose & sources
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THE PLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE

What does this mean?

The State's policy should address adequate livelihoods, distribution of resources, concentration of wealth, equal pay, worker protection and children's development. The separate clauses identify different policy aims rather than one automatic cash entitlement.

Policy directions for a fairer society, livelihoods, health, education, justice and public institutions.

PURPOSE & CONTEXT

Why is this provision here?

The policy framework identifies concrete distributional, livelihood and child-protection priorities rather than leaving welfare as an undefined slogan.

Historical evidence

This Article number belongs to the original constitutional framework, but its present wording may include later amendments or substitutions. A provision-specific original Assembly debate has not been verified here. The explanation of function above is editorial inference from the text, not an attributed single motive of the framers. The original draft-making archive is a research resource, not proof of a particular historical reason. The later amendment records linked below document changes affecting this Article; their Bill statements explain those proposals, not necessarily every original clause or the complete present legal outcome.

The explanation of purpose is an editorial reading of the provision. A drafting motive is attributed only where a linked historical source supports it.

Limits, exceptions & reading carefully

Educational summary of the linked source text. Exceptions, provisos, implementing laws and applicable judgments must be read before applying it to a real case.

Amendment references
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Read the official constitutional text
39. Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State.—The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing— (a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood; (b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good; (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment; (d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women; (e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength; 21 [(f) that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.]
Source-page notes · may concern neighbouring Articles

1. Subs. by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, s. 7, for cl. (f) (w.e.f. 3-1-1977).

Extracted from the Legislative Department’s May 2026 edition. Page footnotes may refer to neighbouring provisions; check their markers in the PDF. Inclusion in this edition does not by itself establish commencement or judicial effect.

FOLLOW THE PARLIAMENTARY RECORD

References naming Article 39

These stored records explicitly mention this Article. A mention does not establish that it was amended or that a particular interpretation is correct. Read the original source for context.