Salient Features of The Constitution 2

 Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties

Every human being is entitled to enjoy certain rights which ensure good living. In a
democracy all citizens enjoy equal rights. The Constitution of India guarantees those rights
in the form of Fundamental Rights.

                Fundamental Rights are one of the important features of the Indian Constitution. The
Constitution provides for six Fundamental Rights about which you will read in the following
lesson. Fundamental Rights are justiciable and are protected by the judiciary. In case of
violation of any of these rights one can move to the court of law for their protection.
Fundamental Duties were added to our Constitution by the 42nd Amendment. It lays down
a list of ten Fundamental Duties for all citizens of India. While the rights are given as
guarantees to the people, the duties are obligations which every citizen is expected to
perform.

Directive Principles of State Policy

The Directive Principles of State Policy which have been adopted from the Irish Constitution,
is another unique feature of the Constitution of India. The Directive Principles were included
in our Constitution in order to provide social and economic justice to our people. Directive
Principles aim at establishing a welfare state in India where there will be no concentration
of wealth in the hands of a few.