RAS question
The concept of Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution was borrowed from:
Correct answer: (C) The Constitution of Ireland.
The Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution were drawn from the Constitution of Ireland.
Explanation
The Indian Constitution borrowed the idea of Directive Principles of State Policy from Ireland. Encyclopaedia Britannica’s article on the Constitution of India notes that the final constitutional document was influenced by several foreign constitutions and specifically identifies Ireland as the source for the directive principles of state policy. This matters because RAS polity questions often test source-borrowing distinctions, not just the name of the feature. The USA, Canada and Australia are important in comparative constitutional study, but for this particular feature the required association is Ireland. Ireland is also linked with the method of election of the President and nomination of Rajya Sabha members, making Ireland the option to remember for this cluster.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Constitution of the USA is not the source for the Directive Principles; Encyclopaedia Britannica separately treats American influence as relating to the Preamble and fundamental rights, not DPSP.
- (B) The Constitution of Canada is not identified as the source of Directive Principles of State Policy.
- (D) The Constitution of Australia is not the source here; Encyclopaedia Britannica names Ireland specifically for directive principles of state policy.
Concept
This tests the Indian Polity theme of borrowed features of the Constitution. It recurs in RAS because prelims questions often ask candidates to match constitutional provisions with their correct foreign sources.