RAS question
Which Constitutional Amendment introduced Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution?
Correct answer: (C) 42nd Amendment.
The 42nd Constitutional Amendment introduced Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution by inserting Part IV-A and Article 51A.
Explanation
Fundamental Duties entered the Constitution through the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976. The amendment inserted Part IV-A, headed "Fundamental Duties", and Article 51A, which lists the duties of every citizen. The Swaran Singh Committee recommendations were also linked to this change, and the original list contained 10 duties. Article 51A now contains those duties, with clause (k) separately inserted by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002. That distinction matters in RAS: the 42nd Amendment created the Fundamental Duties framework, while the 86th Amendment later added the 11th duty on educational opportunities for children aged six to fourteen.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The 44th Amendment is associated with restoring rights curtailed during the Emergency, not with adding Part IV-A or Article 51A.
- (B) The 86th Amendment did not introduce Fundamental Duties; it later added clause (k) to Article 51A and made education a fundamental right under Article 21A.
- (D) The 73rd Amendment concerns Panchayati Raj institutions, so it belongs to local self-government rather than the Fundamental Duties chapter.
Concept
Indian Polity places Fundamental Duties in Part IV-A of the Constitution. RAS prelims uses amendments such as the 42nd, 44th, 73rd and 86th as standard factual anchors.