Articles 48, 48A and 49 of the Constitution of India
Articles 48, 48A and 49 are Directive Principles of State Policy dealing respectively with agriculture and animal husbandry, protection of the environment, forests and wildlife, and protection of monuments, places and objects of national importance.
Updated: 18 September 2026These provisions appear in Part IV of the Constitution of India, which contains the Directive Principles of State Policy. Under Article 37, the Directive Principles are not enforceable by any court, but the Constitution declares them fundamental in the governance of the country and imposes a duty on the State to apply them in making laws.
Article 48 - Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry
Meaning: Article 48 directs the State to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines. It also specifically directs the State to take steps for preserving and improving breeds and for prohibiting the slaughter of cows, calves and other milch and draught cattle.
The State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.
Article 48 therefore combines agricultural and livestock development with a specific constitutional policy concerning preservation and improvement of cattle breeds and restrictions on slaughter. Legislative measures in this field may also involve State List and Concurrent List subjects, depending on the subject matter.
Article 48A - Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife
Meaning: Article 48A places a constitutional responsibility on the State to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of India. Article 48A was inserted by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976.
The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.
This Directive Principle operates alongside the fundamental duty in Article 51A(g), which addresses protection and improvement of the natural environment. Important central environmental legislation includes the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and the forest-conservation legislation presently titled the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
Article 49 - Protection of monuments, places and objects of national importance
Meaning: Article 49 makes it an obligation of the State to protect monuments, places and objects of artistic or historic interest that have been declared by or under a law made by Parliament to be of national importance.
It shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interest, declared by or under law made by Parliament to be of national importance, from spoliation, disfigurement, destruction, removal, disposal or export, as the case may be.
A principal central law connected with this constitutional objective is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, which provides a statutory framework for ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
Legal context of Articles 48, 48A and 49
Articles 48, 48A and 49 do not operate as isolated statutory offences or individual causes of action. They are constitutional directives to the State. Their practical implementation takes place through legislation, executive policy and constitutional interpretation, subject to Fundamental Rights and other provisions of the Constitution.
Related constitutional provisions
Article 37: explains that the Directive Principles are not enforceable by courts but are fundamental in governance. Article 51A(g): states the fundamental duty concerning protection and improvement of the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and compassion for living creatures.
This page is intended for general legal information. The text of the Constitution and applicable legislation should be checked from official Government sources for authoritative use.