Which part of the Constitution of India declares the ideal of Welfare State?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Directive Principles of State Policy
The Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) set out the welfare goals the State must pursue. Article 38, for instance, asks the State to build a social order in which social, economic and political justice shapes national life, with the people's welfare as the aim; that is the essence of a welfare state.
- ✓ (a) Part IV lists positive duties of the State, such as promoting people's welfare, raising the standard of living and distributing resources equitably; together they describe a welfare state.
- ✗ (c) The Preamble states the objectives of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, but the concrete welfare programme is laid down in the Directive Principles.
- ✗ (b) Fundamental Rights mainly restrain the State to protect individual liberty; they do not set out the State's welfare obligations.
Remember · Directive Principles (Part IV, Articles 36–51) embody the welfare state; Article 38: State to promote welfare of the people through social, economic and political justice. Not enforceable in courts.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 1 “The Constitution also set out in the Directive Principles of State Policy the welfare goals that democratic politics must achieve.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 3 “in particular, that the State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·