The ideal of “Welfare State” in the Indian Constitution is enshrined in its

The correct answer is B) Directive Principles of State Policy. The welfare state idea is spelt out in Part IV (Articles 36 to 51). Article 38 asks the State to promote the welfare of the people by securing a social order based on justice, social, economic and political. Articles 39, 41, 43 and 46 then turn that goal into specific duties, such as equal pay, the right to work and education, living wages, and the promotion of the educational and economic interests of weaker sections.

• A) Preamble: It states the aims of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It is not the operative source of the welfare obligation, and the word 'welfare' does not appear in it. It is a guiding statement, not a set of duties.
• C) Fundamental Rights: These in Part III are mostly civil and political liberties and are justiciable. They protect the individual against the State rather than prescribing a welfare programme.
• D) Seventh Schedule: It divides subjects between the Union, State and Concurrent Lists. It allocates powers and carries no welfare ideal.

Mains angle: the DPSPs are the bridge between liberal rights and a social-democratic state, and they explain why many welfare laws were framed as implementing Part IV. Note that 'socialist' entered the Preamble through the 42nd Amendment in 1976, which is a useful point for answers on the evolution of the Constitution.

Trap: Aspirants pick the Preamble because it names justice and equality, but the enforceable welfare mandate sits in Part IV.