RAS question
Fundamental Duties were added to the Constitution by which Amendment?
Correct answer: (D) 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.
Fundamental Duties were added to the Constitution of India by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, which inserted Part IVA and Article 51A.
Explanation
The answer is the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, because the Constitution text places Fundamental Duties in Part IVA under Article 51A and notes that this part was inserted by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976. The original insertion created the duties framework for every citizen, including duties such as respecting the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem, protecting India’s sovereignty, preserving composite culture, protecting the environment, and developing scientific temper. These ten original duties were based on the Swaran Singh Committee’s recommendations. The later 86th Amendment, 2002, did not create Fundamental Duties; it inserted clause (k), the eleventh duty, about parents or guardians providing education opportunities to children aged six to fourteen.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 is not linked with Part IVA or Article 51A, so it cannot be the amendment that added Fundamental Duties.
- (B) The 44th Amendment Act, 1978 appears as a later amendment in the Constitution text, but the insertion note for Fundamental Duties specifically names the Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976.
- (C) The 52nd Amendment Act, 1985 is not the amendment identified beside Part IVA and Article 51A; the Constitution text attributes the insertion to the Forty-second Amendment.
Concept
This tests the amendment history of Fundamental Duties under Part IVA, Article 51A. It recurs in RAS because polity questions often ask candidates to connect constitutional parts, articles, and landmark amendment acts without confusing later additions with the original insertion.