RAS question
Article 38 of the Constitution directs the State to:
Correct answer: (B) Secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people.
Article 38 directs the State to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting a social order in which social, economic and political justice informs all institutions of national life.
Explanation
Article 38 belongs to Part IV of the Constitution, the Directive Principles of State Policy. It tells the State to strive to promote people’s welfare by securing and protecting, as effectively as possible, a social order shaped by justice in its social, economic and political forms. The key phrase is not a narrow welfare scheme but a constitutional direction about the character of governance itself: justice should inform all institutions of national life. The cited Constitution text also places Article 38 before the more specific Directive Principles, which helps separate it from nearby provisions such as free legal aid under Article 39A and village panchayats under Article 40.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Free legal aid is tied to Article 39A, which specifically directs the State to provide legal aid so that access to justice is not denied because of economic or other disabilities.
- (C) Protection of monuments and objects of national importance is the obligation stated in Article 49, not the welfare-oriented social order under Article 38.
- (D) Organising village panchayats is covered by Article 40, which deals with enabling them to function as units of self-government.
Concept
This tests Directive Principles of State Policy, especially the ability to match key Part IV articles with their constitutional objectives. RAS repeatedly asks such article-objective pairings because they link polity facts with governance values.