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Q7 (IAS/2017) Polity & Governance › Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Fundamental Duties › Directive Principles framework Official Key

Which principle among the following was added to the Directive Principles of State Policy by the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution ?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added four new Directive Principles to the original list, [1]including the requirement for the State to take steps to secure the participation of workers in the management of industries (Article 43A)[1].

The other options were not added by the 42nd Amendment. Equal pay for equal work for both men and women[3] was already part of the original Directive Principles. Similarly, provisions regarding right to work, education, and public assistance, as well as securing living wage and humane conditions of work for workers, were part of the Constitution before the 42nd Amendment. The 42nd Amendment added four specific new principles: healthy development of children (Article[1] 39), equal justice and free legal aid (Article 39A), workers' participation in management (Article 43A), and protection of environment and wildlife (Article 48A)[1].

Sources
  1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 9: Directive Principles of State Policy > NEW DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES > p. 110
  2. [2] https://www.mea.gov.in/images/pdf1/part4.pdf
  3. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directive_Principles_in_India
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Which principle among the following was added to the Directive Principles of State Policy by the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution ? [A…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a non-negotiable 'Sitter'. The 42nd Amendment is the most heavily tested amendment in history. If you rely on 'general reading' without memorizing the specific 4 clauses added, you will fail this. Standard books (Laxmikanth/Basu) cover this explicitly in the 'New Directive Principles' section.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did the 42nd Amendment (1976) to the Indian Constitution add "Equal pay for equal work for both men and women" to the Directive Principles of State Policy?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 9: Directive Principles of State Policy > NEW DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES > p. 110
Strength: 5/5
“The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added four new Directive Principles to the original list. They require the State: • 1. To secure opportunities for healthy development of children (Article 39).• 2. To promote equal justice and to provide free legal aid to the poor (Article 39A).• 3. To take steps to secure the participation of workers in the management of industries (Article 43A).• 4. To protect and improve the environment and to safeguard forests and wild life (Article 48A). The 44th Amendment Act of 1978 added one more Directive Principle, which requires the State to minimise inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities (Article 38).”
Why relevant

Lists the four specific Directive Principles that the 42nd Amendment added — the list does not include 'equal pay for equal work'.

How to extend

A student could compare this explicit post‑amendment list with the text of Article 39 before and after 1976 (or with the original Constitution) to see whether 'equal pay' was newly inserted or pre‑existing.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 3: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION > THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION > p. 27
Strength: 5/5
“Apart from these general provisions, there are special provisions in the Directive Principles [Part IV] which enjoin the State to place the two sexes on an equal footing in the economic sphere, by securing to men and women equal right to work and equal pay for equal work [Article 39, clauses (a), (d)]. From a Socialistic Pattern of Society to Socialism. The realisation of so many objectives would certainly mean an expansion of the functions of the State. The goal envisaged by the Constitution, therefore, is that of a "Welfare State," and the establishment of a "socialist state." At the Avadi session in 1955, Congress explained this objective as establishing a "socialistic pattern of society" by a resolution.”
Why relevant

Explains that Article 39 (clauses a and d) already enjoins the State to secure equal right to work and 'equal pay for equal work' to men and women.

How to extend

Use this to infer that 'equal pay' was part of Article 39 (a Directive Principle) and then check whether Article 39 itself was created earlier than 1976.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 3: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION > Gender Justice and Transgenders as Third Gender > p. 30
Strength: 4/5
“securing that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to adequate means of livelihood. Clause (d) of the said Article provides for equal pay for equal work for both men and women and clause (e) stipulates that health and welfare of all workers, men and women, shall be ensured. strength of workers, men and women alike, and the tender age of children, are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter into avocations unsuited to their age or strength.— The Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles are the two quilts of the chariot in establishing the egalitarian social order and therefore, it is required to interpret the Fundamental Rights in light of the Directive Principles of State Policy”
Why relevant

Explicitly states clause (d) provides for equal pay for equal work for both men and women, tying the phrase to an Article of the Directive Principles.

How to extend

A student could look up the original text or an early edition of the Constitution to confirm the clause's presence before 1976.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 5: Preamble of the Constitution > 46('I Indian Polity > p. 46
Strength: 4/5
“One, no person is to be declared ineligible for inclusion in electoral rolls on grounds of religion , race, caste or sex (Article 325). '1\\'0, elections to the Lok Sabha a nd the state assemblies to be on the basis of ildult suffrage (A rti cle 326), The Directive Principles of State Policy (Article 39) secures to men and women equal right to an adequate means of livelihood and equal pay for equal work,”
Why relevant

Asserts that the Directive Principles (Article 39) secure to men and women equal right to adequate means of livelihood and equal pay for equal work, indicating the concept is located in Article 39.

How to extend

This supports checking the historical adoption date of Article 39 to judge whether the 42nd Amendment was the origin of that clause.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 9: Directive Principles of State Policy > CONFLICT BETWEEN FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES > p. 114
Strength: 3/5
“In other words, the 42nd Amendment Act accorded the position of legal primacy and supremacy to the Directive Principles over the Fundamental Rights conferred by Articles 14, 19 and 31. In the Minerva Mill's case ( 1980), the Supreme Court also held that 'the Indian Constitution is founded on the bedrock of the balance between the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles. They together constitute the core of commitment to social revolution. They are like two wheels of a chariot, one no”
Why relevant

Notes the 42nd Amendment gave primacy to Directive Principles over certain Fundamental Rights, showing the amendment altered status of DPs but not necessarily their content.

How to extend

Use this pattern (amendment changing status vs. content) to distinguish whether the 42nd Amendment added new DP content or primarily changed constitutional hierarchy — then verify by comparing lists of DP additions.

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