RAS question
Article 39(b) and 39(c) direct the State to ensure that:
Correct answer: (B) Ownership and control of material resources are distributed to subserve common good; wealth is not concentrated.
Article 39(b) and 39(c) direct the State to ensure that material resources are distributed for the common good and that wealth and means of production are not concentrated to the common detriment.
Explanation
Article 39 is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy and sets out policy goals the State must pursue. Clause (b) directs policy towards securing that the ownership and control of the community's material resources are distributed in a way that best serves the common good. Clause (c) adds the economic safeguard: the operation of the economic system should not lead to concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment. Read together, these clauses are about distributive justice in economic policy, not a personal law reform, a wage-equality rule, or legal-aid access. That is why option B captures both limbs: distribution of material resources and prevention of harmful concentration of wealth.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A Uniform Civil Code for all citizens is dealt with under Article 44, so it is not the direction contained in Article 39(b) or 39(c).
- (C) Equal pay for equal work for men and women is the subject of Article 39(d), not clauses 39(b) and 39(c).
- (D) Free legal aid for economically weaker sections belongs to Article 39A, whereas Article 39(b) and 39(c) concern material resources and concentration of wealth.
Concept
This tests Directive Principles of State Policy, especially the economic-justice clauses in Article 39. It recurs in RAS because questions often distinguish neighbouring DPSP provisions by their exact constitutional subject matter.