Previous Year Question

• Section 13 of the Government of India Act, 1935 provided for an Instrument of Instructions to the Governor-General, while Section 53 dealt with such instructions to provincial Governors. These instruments guided constitutional authorities in governance and the discharge of their special responsibilities.

• In independent India, comparable constitutional instructions to governments were incorporated in Part IV of the Constitution as the Directive Principles of State Policy, covering Articles 36–51.

According to Article 37, the Directive Principles are not enforceable by any court, but they are fundamental in the governance of the country. It is the duty of the State to apply them while making laws.

Their objective is to establish social and economic democracy and a welfare state. Important examples include:

• Article 38—social order for the promotion of public welfare.

• Article 39—equitable distribution of resources and equal pay for equal work.

• Article 40—organisation of village panchayats.

• Article 46—protection of the interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and weaker sections.

• Article 47—improvement of nutrition and public health.

• Article 48A—protection of the environment and wildlife.

• Article 50—separation of the judiciary from the executive.

• Article 51—promotion of international peace.

The other options are incorrect: Fundamental Rights are in Part III; the extent of a State’s executive power is dealt with in Article 162; and the conduct of the business of the Union Government is covered by Article 77.