Certain Principles of Policy (Article 39)

Equal pay livelihood guarantees are among the most concrete promises the Constitution makes through Article 39, which spells out a set of specific policy goals the State must pursue in giving effect to the broader welfare vision laid down in Article 38. Where Article 38 speaks in general terms of a just social order, Article 39 gets specific — naming livelihood, distribution of resources, concentration of wealth, equal pay and the protection of workers and children as distinct directives.

Text of Article 39

Article 39 opens: "The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing—" and then lists clauses (a) through (e) covered in the source text: (a) that citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood; (b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are distributed as best to subserve the common good; (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment; (d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women; and (e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused, and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.

Clause-by-Clause Reading

Adequate means of livelihood (39-a). This clause asks the State to secure for every citizen, regardless of sex, the right to an adequate means of livelihood — framing economic sustenance as a policy goal for the State to pursue, not merely a private matter of individual effort.

Distribution of material resources (39-b). This directs the State toward distributing ownership and control of the community's material resources in a way that best serves the common good, rather than allowing resources to concentrate in a few hands by default.

Preventing concentration of wealth (39-c). This clause targets the working of the economic system itself, directing the State to prevent the economy from producing a concentration of wealth and the means of production "to the common detriment."

Equal pay for equal work (39-d). This is one of the more frequently cited Directive Principles, requiring equal pay for equal work for both men and women.

Protection of workers and children (39-e). This clause protects the health and strength of workers of both sexes and the "tender age" of children from abuse, and prevents citizens from being pushed by economic necessity into work unsuited to their age or physical strength.

How Article 39 Builds on Article 38

Article 38 sets the overall aim — a social order for welfare, minimising inequality. Article 39 operationalises that aim into five specific policy directions the State is told, "in particular," to pursue. This layered structure — a general welfare directive followed by particular applications — recurs across the early Directive Principles and helps in remembering the sequence: Article 37 (nature of the sanction), Article 38 (general welfare goal), Article 39 (particular economic and social policy goals).

Relevance to Fundamental Rights

Article 39's clauses touch on the same terrain as several Fundamental Rights. Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment, and the equal-pay directive in Article 39(d) complements this by extending the equality concern to wages, not merely access to employment. Article 42 (separation of judiciary from the executive) and other later Directive Principles continue this pattern of stating specific policy goals that flesh out the general commitments found in Articles 37 and 38.

Clauses of Article 39 at a Glance

Clause	Direction to the State
39(a)	Adequate means of livelihood for all citizens, men and women equally
39(b)	Distribution of material resources to subserve the common good
39(c)	Prevent concentration of wealth and means of production
39(d)	Equal pay for equal work for men and women
39(e)	Protect health, strength of workers and tender age of children from abuse

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

• Match each Article 39 clause letter [(a)-(e)] with its subject — livelihood, resource distribution, wealth concentration, equal pay, worker/child protection.
• Equal pay for equal work (39-d) is a frequently tested specific clause.

Mains

• Discuss how Article 39's directives on wealth concentration and resource distribution reflect the socialistic character of the Directive Principles.
• Analyse the relationship between Article 39(d)'s equal-pay directive and Article 16's guarantee of equality of opportunity in public employment.

FAQ

Q1. What does Article 39 direct the State to secure? Five specific goals: adequate livelihood for all, fair distribution of material resources, prevention of wealth concentration, equal pay for equal work, and protection of workers and children from exploitative labour.

Q2. Which clause of Article 39 deals with equal pay? Clause (d), which directs the State to secure equal pay for equal work for both men and women.

Q3. Is Article 39 enforceable in court? No. Like other Directive Principles, Article 39 is governed by Article 37 and is not enforceable by any court.

Q4. How is Article 39 different from Article 38? Article 38 states the general welfare and social-order goal; Article 39 lists particular policy directions — livelihood, resource distribution, wealth concentration, equal pay, worker protection — through which that general goal is to be pursued.

Quick Revision

• Article 39(a): adequate means of livelihood for men and women equally.
• Article 39(b): material resources distributed for the common good.
• Article 39(c): prevent concentration of wealth and means of production.
• Article 39(d): equal pay for equal work.
• Article 39(e): protect workers' health/strength and children's tender age from abuse.

Sources

• The Constitution of India, Article 39 — legislative.gov.in

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

• M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
• D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
• The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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