Maarg Manthan · Topic 8.2

List of the Eleven Fundamental Duties (Article 51A)

Indian Polity › Fundamental Duties · Topic 8.2

Article 51A lists eleven Fundamental Duties of citizens: from respecting the Constitution, the Flag and the Anthem, to protecting the environment, developing scientific temper, safeguarding public property and educating one’s child. They are non-justiciable and apply to citizens only.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Polity · Fundamental Duties

At a Glance

What it is The eleven duties of every citizen of India listed in Article 51A
Article Article 51A, Part IVA
Added Ten by the 42nd Amendment (1976); the eleventh by the 86th Amendment (2002)
Available to Citizens only, not foreigners
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Fundamental Duties

Where Does It Fit?

This is the second topic of the category on Fundamental Duties. Article 51A lists the duties of citizens under eleven clauses. This topic sets them out and explains their characteristics.

The Eleven Duties

According to Article 51A, it shall be the duty of every citizen of India:

Clause	Duty
(a)	To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem
(b)	To cherish and follow the noble ideals that inspired the national struggle for freedom
(c)	To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India
(d)	To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so
(e)	To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities, and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women
(f)	To value and preserve the rich heritage of the country’s composite culture
(g)	To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures
(h)	To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform
(i)	To safeguard public property and to abjure violence
(j)	To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement
(k)	To provide opportunities for education to his or her child or ward between the age of six and fourteen years (added by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002)

Features of the Fundamental Duties

Some are moral duties while others are civic duties. Cherishing the noble ideals of the freedom struggle is a moral precept, while respecting the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem is a civic duty.
They refer to values that have been a part of the Indian tradition, mythology, religions and practices; they are essentially a codification of tasks integral to the Indian way of life.
Unlike some Fundamental Rights, which extend to all persons including foreigners, the Fundamental Duties are confined to citizens only.
Like the Directive Principles, they are non-justiciable. The Constitution does not provide for their direct enforcement by courts and there is no legal sanction against their violation, but Parliament is free to enforce them by suitable legislation.

Where They Sit and How They Relate

The duties are placed in Part IVA, after the Directive Principles, in a single Article. Critics said that placing them as an appendage to Part IV reduced their value and that they should have been added after Part III to keep them on par with the Fundamental Rights. Eleven clauses cover a mix of constitutional respect (a), national unity and defence (c, d), social harmony (e), culture and environment (f, g), a scientific outlook (h), public property (i), excellence (j) and education of children (k).

Why Is This Topic Important?

Direct recall questions The wording and clause letters of the duties are asked
Which duty is which Environment, scientific temper and education duties are frequent
Feature statements Citizens-only and non-justiciable are asked in statement form

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the justiciability and enforcement of the Fundamental Duties.

Key People and Terms

Article 51A The only Article in Part IVA, listing the duties
Scientific temper A spirit of reasoned inquiry, one of the duties
Composite culture The country’s shared cultural heritage mentioned in clause (f)
Civic duty A duty such as respecting the Flag and Anthem
Moral precept A duty such as cherishing noble ideals

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Eleven duties: ten in 1976, the eleventh (education of child) in 2002.
Duties apply to citizens only.
They are non-justiciable, but Parliament can legislate.
Environment duty is clause (g); scientific temper is (h); education is (k).

Do Not Confuse With

Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles Duties bind citizens; directives bind the State
Moral and civic duties Noble ideals versus respect for Flag and Anthem
Clause (g) and Article 48A The duty of citizens versus the directive for the State on environment

Memory Hook

Eleven duties from (a) to (k): Constitution, ideals, integrity, defence, harmony, culture, environment, science, property, excellence, education.

Mains Angle

Questions on this topic usually ask about the nature of the duties. Use these points to add depth.

Range of duties From respect for the Constitution to protection of the environment
Citizens only Unlike some rights, duties do not extend to foreigners
Moral and civic Different kinds of obligation are combined
No direct enforcement Parliament may legislate to enforce them

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Enumerate the Fundamental Duties and discuss their features.”

How to Answer

Introduction Article 51A and Part IVA.
List The eleven clauses.
Features Moral and civic, citizens only, non-justiciable.
Conclusion Role of legislation.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Indian Polity, Fundamental Duties. GS Paper 2: Constitutional duties and citizenship.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Fundamental Duties are there?

There are eleven Fundamental Duties in Article 51A. Ten were added by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, and the eleventh, to provide opportunities for education to a child between six and fourteen years, was added by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002.

Which Fundamental Duty relates to the environment?

Article 51A(g) makes it the duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. A related Directive Principle is Article 48A, which addresses the State.

Who can be bound by the Fundamental Duties?

Unlike some Fundamental Rights, which extend to all persons including foreigners, the Fundamental Duties are confined to citizens only and do not extend to foreigners, which is a point often asked in statement-based questions.

Are Fundamental Duties enforceable by the courts?

No. Like the Directive Principles, they are non-justiciable. The Constitution does not provide for their direct enforcement by courts and there is no legal sanction against violation, though Parliament is free to enforce them by suitable legislation.

What is the duty relating to scientific temper?

Article 51A(h) makes it the duty of every citizen to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. Critics noted that phrases such as noble ideals, composite culture and scientific temper can be interpreted in different ways by different people.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Article 51A contains eleven Fundamental Duties at present.

True

The eleventh was added in 2002.

2 Fundamental Duties are available to foreigners also.

False

They are confined to citizens.

3 The duty to provide opportunities for education to a child aged six to fourteen is Article 51A(k).