Article 38 — State to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people

(1) The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life. (2) The State shall, in particular, strive to minimise the inequalities in income and endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Article 38 is the headline statement of the DPSP — the overarching goal from which all specific Directive Principles flow. Its language mirrors the Preamble's promise of 'justice, social, economic and political,' making it a restatement of the Constitution's core aspiration in operational form. Clause (2) on minimising inequality was inserted by the 44th Amendment in 1978 by the Janata government, which came to power after the Emergency and wished to signal a stronger egalitarian commitment. The article draws from socialist thought, Ambedkar's critique of caste-based economic inequality, and the welfare state traditions developing in post-war Europe.

• 44th Amendment (1978) — Inserted clause (2) explicitly directing the state to minimise inequalities in income and eliminate inequalities in status, facilities, and opportunities.

• Article 39
• Article 14
• Article 21

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026