Indian Constitution Part 2: DPSPs, Fundamental Duties, Key Amendments, President & Governor

After Fundamental Rights, DPSPs and constitutional amendments are the next highest-weight polity topics. Expect 4-6 questions per paper. These notes complete the polity picture.

Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV, Articles 36-51)

DPSPs are guidelines for the government to create social and economic conditions for a just society. They are not enforceable by courts (unlike Fundamental Rights) but are fundamental in governance.

Classification of DPSPs

Socialistic Principles:

Article	Directive
Art. 38	State shall promote welfare; minimise inequality in income, status, facilities
Art. 39	Equal right to adequate livelihood; equal pay for equal work; prevent concentration of wealth
Art. 39A	Free legal aid to the poor (added by 42nd Amendment)
Art. 41	Right to work, education, and public assistance in unemployment, old age, sickness
Art. 42	Just and humane conditions of work; maternity relief
Art. 43	Living wage for workers; cottage industries promotion
Art. 47	Raise nutrition levels; improve public health; prohibit intoxicating drinks

Gandhian Principles:

Article	Directive
Art. 40	Organise village panchayats (local self-government)
Art. 43	Promote cottage industries
Art. 46	Promote educational and economic interests of SC/ST and weaker sections
Art. 47	Prohibition of intoxicating drinks and drugs harmful to health
Art. 48	Prohibit slaughter of cows, calves, and other milch/draught cattle

Liberal-Intellectual Principles:

Article	Directive
Art. 44	Uniform Civil Code for all citizens
Art. 45	Early childhood care and education for children below 6 years (amended by 86th Amendment)
Art. 48	Protect and improve the environment; safeguard forests and wildlife
Art. 48A	Environment protection (added by 42nd Amendment)
Art. 49	Protect monuments and places of national importance
Art. 50	Separation of judiciary from executive
Art. 51	Promote international peace and security

Key DPSP PSC Questions

1. Uniform Civil Code? — Article 44 (still not implemented nationally)
2. Village Panchayats? — Article 40
3. Prohibition of cow slaughter? — Article 48
4. Free legal aid? — Article 39A (42nd Amendment)
5. Separation of judiciary from executive? — Article 50
6. Are DPSPs enforceable? — No, they are non-justiciable

Fundamental Duties (Part IVA, Article 51A)

Added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) based on the Swaran Singh Committee recommendation. Originally 10 duties; the 86th Amendment (2002) added the 11th duty.

The 11 Fundamental Duties

1. Abide by the Constitution and respect the national flag and anthem
2. Cherish and follow the noble ideals of the freedom struggle
3. Uphold and protect sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India
4. Defend the country and render national service when called upon
5. Promote harmony among all people; renounce practices derogatory to women’s dignity
6. Value and preserve the rich heritage of composite culture
7. Protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife
8. Develop scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform
9. Safeguard public property and abjure violence
10. Strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity
11. Provide opportunities for education to child/ward aged 6-14 (added by 86th Amendment, 2002)

The President of India

Fact	Detail
Article	Articles 52-62
Elected by	Electoral college (elected MPs of both Houses + elected MLAs of all states + Delhi & Puducherry)
Term	5 years (can be re-elected)
Qualification	Indian citizen, 35+ years, eligible for Lok Sabha membership
Impeachment	By Parliament under Article 61 (2/3 majority of total membership of both Houses)
Salary	₹5,00,000 per month (as of 2023)

Key Presidents of India

#	President	Period	Key fact
1	Dr. Rajendra Prasad	1950-1962	First President; only one to serve two terms
2	Dr. S. Radhakrishnan	1962-1967	First Vice-President; Teacher’s Day (5 Sep)
3	Dr. Zakir Husain	1967-1969	First Muslim President; died in office
5	Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	1974-1977	Signed Emergency proclamation (1975); died in office
7	Giani Zail Singh	1982-1987	First Sikh President
10	K.R. Narayanan	1997-2002	First Dalit President
11	A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	2002-2007	”Missile Man”; first scientist-President
12	Pratibha Patil	2007-2012	First woman President
15	Droupadi Murmu	2022-present	First tribal President; first from Odisha

Powers of the President

Power	Detail
Executive	All executive actions taken in his name; appoints PM, Council of Ministers, Governors, judges
Legislative	Summons/prorogues Parliament; joint session (Art. 108); ordinance power (Art. 123)
Financial	Money bills introduced only with President’s recommendation; presents Union Budget
Judicial	Appoints CJI and SC/HC judges; pardoning power (Art. 72)
Emergency	National Emergency (Art. 352), President’s Rule (Art. 356), Financial Emergency (Art. 360)

President’s Pardoning Power (Article 72)

The President can grant pardon, reprieve, respite, remission, or commutation of sentence in cases of:

• Court martial
• Union law offences
• Death sentence

The Governor

Fact	Detail
Article	Articles 153-162
Appointed by	President of India (on advice of Central Government)
Term	5 years (serves at the pleasure of the President)
Qualification	Indian citizen, 35+ years
Not elected	Governor is appointed, not elected

Governor’s Powers

Power	Detail
Executive	Appoints CM and Council of Ministers; appoints Advocate General, State Election Commissioner
Legislative	Summons/prorogues State Legislature; ordinance power (Art. 213); can reserve bills for President
Discretionary	Recommending President’s Rule; appointing CM when no clear majority; reserving bills
Pardoning (Art. 161)	Can pardon state law offences; CANNOT pardon death sentences

Key Constitutional Amendments

Amendment	Year	Key change
1st	1951	Reasonable restrictions on Art. 19; Art. 15(4) reservation
7th	1956	Reorganisation of states (linguistic basis)
24th	1971	Parliament can amend Fundamental Rights
25th	1971	Right to Property curtailed; “amount” replaced by “compensation”
42nd	1976	”Mini Constitution” — added Socialist, Secular, Integrity to Preamble; added Fundamental Duties; DPSPs priority over FRs
44th	1978	Removed Right to Property from FRs; restored judicial review; safeguards against Emergency
52nd	1985	Anti-defection law (10th Schedule)
61st	1989	Voting age reduced from 21 to 18
73rd	1992	Panchayati Raj institutions (11th Schedule)
74th	1992	Municipalities (12th Schedule)
86th	2002	Right to Education (Art. 21A); 11th Fundamental Duty
91st	2003	Size of Council of Ministers capped at 15% of Lok Sabha/Assembly strength
101st	2016	GST (Goods and Services Tax)
103rd	2019	10% EWS reservation
104th	2020	Extended SC/ST reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by 10 years

Important Constitutional Bodies

Body	Article	Function
Election Commission	Art. 324	Conducts free and fair elections
Union Public Service Commission	Art. 315	Recruits for central government services
State Public Service Commission	Art. 315	Recruits for state government services
Finance Commission	Art. 280	Recommends distribution of taxes between Centre and States
Comptroller and Auditor General	Art. 148	Audits government accounts; “Guardian of public purse”
Attorney General	Art. 76	Chief legal advisor to Government of India
Advocate General	Art. 165	Chief legal advisor to State Government

Schedules of the Indian Constitution

Schedule	Subject
1st	States and Union Territories
2nd	Salaries of President, Governors, judges, etc.
3rd	Oaths and affirmations
4th	Allocation of Rajya Sabha seats to states
5th	Scheduled Areas and Tribal administration
6th	Tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram
7th	Union, State, and Concurrent Lists (legislative powers)
8th	Official Languages (currently 22 languages)
9th	Acts protected from judicial review (added by 1st Amendment)
10th	Anti-defection provisions (added by 52nd Amendment)
11th	Panchayat powers (added by 73rd Amendment)
12th	Municipality powers (added by 74th Amendment)

Notes based on NCERT Class 9 Democratic Politics and Class 10, supplemented with Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity for advanced topics. Updated April 2026.