Article 41
Right to Work as a Directive Principle of State Policy
Article 41, located in Part IV of the Constitution, directs the State, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, to make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education, and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, and disablement. Directive Principles are declared "fundamental in the governance of the country" under Article 37 but are explicitly non-justiciable — no court can compel their enforcement.
- Article 41 falls under Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy), Articles 36-51
- Article 37 states DPSPs "shall not be enforceable by any court," distinguishing them from Fundamental Rights (Part III), which are justiciable under Article 32
- MGNREGA (2005) was widely regarded as the first major Indian statute translating the Article 41 right-to-work aspiration into a legally enforceable, demand-driven entitlement — 100 days of guaranteed wage employment per rural household per financial year
- The original MGNREGA included an unemployment allowance clause: if work was not provided within 15 days of a demand, the state was liable to pay an unemployment allowance
● Tracked since July 27, 2026 · last seen August 21, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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