Which one among the following is not a Fundamental Duty of the citizen of India?

1. Genesis of Fundamental Duties: The 42nd Amendment (basic)

When our Constitution was adopted in 1950, it was a masterpiece of rights (Fundamental Rights) and state obligations (Directive Principles). However, it was surprisingly silent on the Fundamental Duties of citizens. The framers likely assumed that in a free India, citizens would naturally perform their duties. This changed during the Internal Emergency (1975-1977), a period of intense political turmoil, when the government felt that citizens needed to be reminded that rights cannot exist in a vacuum without responsibilities M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, p.31.

To formalize this, the Sardar Swaran Singh Committee was constituted in 1976. The committee's central philosophy was that citizens should not only enjoy rights but also be conscious of their duties. Interestingly, while the committee recommended the inclusion of eight fundamental duties, the government did not accept all recommendations (such as the duty to pay taxes) and instead expanded the list M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, p.119.

The legal birth of these duties occurred through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. This landmark amendment inserted a completely new section into the Constitution: Part IV-A, consisting of a single article, Article 51A. Initially, this article listed ten Fundamental Duties. In choosing to codify these duties, India followed the example of the USSR Constitution, breaking away from the tradition of major Western democracies like the USA, Canada, or France, which do not explicitly list duties in their constitutions M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, p.688.

Sources: Indian Polity, Fundamental Duties, p.119; Indian Polity, Salient Features of the Constitution, p.31; Indian Polity, World Constitutions, p.688

2. Rights and Duties: The Correlative Relationship (basic)

In political science and constitutional law, the relationship between rights and duties is often described as correlative—meaning they are two sides of the same coin. From a first-principles perspective, a 'right' cannot exist in a vacuum. If you have a right to walk freely on the street, everyone else has a duty not to obstruct you. Therefore, the enjoyment of rights by one individual is contingent upon the performance of duties by others, including the State. Historically, the Indian Constitution focused primarily on Fundamental Rights (Part III) to protect citizens from state overreach. However, during the 1970s, it was felt that citizens should also be conscious of their obligations toward the nation. The Sardar Swaran Singh Committee (1976) emphasized that for a democracy to thrive, citizens must realize that in addition to enjoying rights, they have certain duties to perform Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, Fundamental Duties, p.119. This led to the 42nd Amendment Act, which introduced the Fundamental Duties as a countervailing factor to the existing rights Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES, p.95. To help you visualize this balance, consider the following comparison:

Feature	Fundamental Rights	Fundamental Duties
Nature	Individualistic (What I get)	Collectivistic (What I give)
Purpose	Limits State power	Strengthens social & national bond
Core Relation	Rights are the claims	Duties are the obligations

While Fundamental Rights are justiciable (you can go to court if they are violated), Fundamental Duties are largely non-justiciable. However, they serve as a constant reminder that 'liberty' is not 'license.' A citizen who demands the protection of the law (a right) must also respect the law and the symbols of the nation (a duty). As the Verma Committee (1999) later noted, many of these duties are actually supported by specific legal provisions, such as the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, Fundamental Duties, p.122.

Sources: Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, Fundamental Duties, p.119; Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES, p.95; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, Fundamental Duties, p.122

3. Part IV vs Part IVA: Comparing DPSP and Duties (intermediate)

To understand the Indian Constitution, one must recognize that it is not just a list of rights, but a balanced document of social and ethical obligations. While Fundamental Rights (Part III) protect individuals from the state, Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy - DPSP) and Part IVA (Fundamental Duties) represent the goals and responsibilities required to make democracy work. Think of Part IV as the State's to-do list and Part IVA as the Citizen's code of conduct.

Part IV (DPSP) consists of Articles 36 to 51. These are guidelines or "ideals" that the government should keep in mind while framing laws and policies Exploring Society: India and Beyond, NCERT Class VII, The Constitution of India — An Introduction, p.220. For example, the State is encouraged to protect the environment (Article 48A) or ensure a living wage for workers. On the other hand, Part IVA (Fundamental Duties) was not in the original Constitution; it was added by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976 to remind citizens that rights and duties go hand-in-hand Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, World Constitutions, p.697.

Feature	Directive Principles (Part IV)	Fundamental Duties (Part IVA)
Addressed To	The State (Government and Authorities).	The Citizens of India.
Nature	Social and economic goals for a welfare state.	Moral and civic obligations for individuals.
Justiciability	Non-justiciable; you cannot sue the government if they fail to meet a goal Exploring Society: India and Beyond, NCERT Class VII, The Constitution of India — An Introduction, p.221.	Non-justiciable; there is no direct legal penalty for non-performance unless backed by a specific law Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, Procedure for Amendment, p.198.
Origin	Original Constitution (1950).	42nd Amendment (1976).

While both are technically "non-justiciable" (meaning a judge cannot force their immediate implementation like a Fundamental Right), they are constitutionally fundamental. The courts often use Fundamental Duties to interpret the validity of a law, and they view DPSP as the soul of the country's socio-economic vision. For instance, protecting the environment is both a duty of the State (Art 48A) and a duty of the citizen (Art 51A(g)) Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, TABLES, p.529.

Sources: Exploring Society: India and Beyond, NCERT Class VII, The Constitution of India — An Introduction, p.220-221; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, Fundamental Duties, p.697; Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, Procedure for Amendment, p.198; Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, TABLES, p.529

4. Expanding the List: The 86th Constitutional Amendment (intermediate)

While the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 gave us our initial list of ten Fundamental Duties, the list we see today is longer. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 stands as a landmark moment in Indian constitutional history because it sought to make education a truly national priority. This amendment didn't just add a duty; it created a unique 'triad' of provisions across different parts of the Constitution to ensure that every child in India receives an education Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES, p.133.

Specifically, the 86th Amendment inserted a new clause, Article 51A(k), which became the 11th Fundamental Duty. It mandates that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years. This change reflects the philosophy that while the State has a duty to provide schools, the ultimate success of education depends on the active participation of the family unit.

To understand the depth of this amendment, we must look at how it balanced rights and duties. It was a holistic reform that touched three distinct areas of the Constitution simultaneously:

Category	Article	Requirement
Fundamental Right	Article 21A	The State must provide free and compulsory education to children aged 6–14 Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth, World Constitutions, p.730.
Directive Principle	Article 45 (Modified)	The State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years.
Fundamental Duty	Article 51A(k)	Parents and guardians must provide opportunities for education to their children/wards aged 6–14.

Sources: Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.), FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES, p.133; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), World Constitutions, p.730

5. The 'Rejected' Recommendations: What is NOT a Duty (exam-level)

When the Swaran Singh Committee was tasked with drafting the Fundamental Duties in 1976, they didn't just suggest the list we see today; they proposed a much more rigorous framework. However, the then-government selectively adopted their suggestions. Understanding what was left out is just as crucial for the UPSC as knowing what was included, because these 'rejected' items often appear as confusing options in the exam. Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Fundamental Duties, p.119.

The most notable rejection was the duty to pay taxes. While the Swaran Singh Committee viewed tax payment as a fundamental obligation to the nation, the Parliament chose not to include it in Article 51A. Similarly, the committee suggested that Parliament should have the power to impose penalties or punishments for refusing to observe these duties. They even went so far as to suggest that such laws should be immune from judicial review. The government, however, decided that Fundamental Duties should remain non-justiciable (not legally enforceable by the courts), making them moral and civic obligations rather than strictly legal ones. Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Fundamental Duties, p.119.

Modern critics and scholars often point out that the current list is not exhaustive. Important civic responsibilities like casting a vote and family planning are missing from Part IVA. While family planning is vital for sustainable development and resource management—a point emphasized in geography and social studies—it remains a matter of policy and personal choice rather than a constitutionally mandated duty. FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, CLASS XII, The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth, p.11. Similarly, while the 42nd Amendment added duties like safeguarding public property, it resisted the 'hard' duties that would have directly empowered the state to punish citizens.

Category	Recommended but NOT Included	Commonly Cited as 'Missing'
Economic	Duty to pay taxes	None
Legal	Penalty/Punishment for non-compliance	None
Civic/Social	None	Duty to vote, Family planning

Sources: Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Fundamental Duties, p.119-120; FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, CLASS XII, The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth, p.11

6. The Statutory Framework: Deciphering Article 51A (a-k) (exam-level)

To truly master the statutory framework of our Constitution, we must look at Article 51A not just as a list, but as a moral and civic code for the Indian citizen. Inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, this Article originally contained ten duties, a number that grew to eleven with the 86th Amendment Act, 2002 D. D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, p. 161. These duties are the 'price' we pay for our rights, serving as a constant reminder that while the State protects our liberties, we owe the State and our fellow citizens certain standards of conduct.

The duties can be broadly categorized into three themes to help you memorize them effectively:

• Nationalistic Duties: To abide by the Constitution and respect the National Flag and Anthem (a); to cherish the ideals of the freedom struggle (b); and to protect the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India (c) D. D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, p. 161.
• Social and Ethical Duties: To promote common brotherhood and renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women (e); to value and preserve our composite culture (f); and to protect the natural environment, including forests and wildlife (g) D. D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, p. 162.
• Modern/Progressive Duties: This is a unique category for India. It includes developing a scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry (h) and safeguarding public property while abjuring violence (i). Finally, duty (k) mandates parents to provide opportunities for education to children aged 6 to 14.

It is crucial for your exam to note what is not there. The Swaran Singh Committee, which recommended these duties, originally suggested including the duty to pay taxes and punishing those who fail to perform duties. However, the Parliament chose not to include these. Similarly, concepts like population control or family planning are frequently discussed in political circles but are not currently part of the Article 51A framework.

Sources: Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.), Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, p.161; Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.), Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, p.162; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), World Constitutions, p.697

7. Solving the Original PYQ (exam-level)

You have just mastered the framework of Article 51A, which was introduced by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 based on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee. This question tests your ability to distinguish between the specific, enumerated duties and general civic responsibilities that are not constitutionally mandated. When you look at the options, you must match them against the precise language of the 11 duties you have studied. You will notice that scientific temper (Clause h), safeguarding public property (Clause i), and protecting sovereignty (Clause c) are explicit, verbatim clauses within the text of the Constitution, making options (A), (B), and (C) incorrect as they are indeed Fundamental Duties.

The correct answer is (D) To practice family planning and to control population. This is a classic UPSC trap; while population control is a critical national objective often discussed in the context of Directive Principles or legislative policy, it was never added to the list of Fundamental Duties. As a savvy aspirant, you should remember that the UPSC often includes 'morally desirable' or 'socially responsible' actions—such as voting in elections or paying taxes—that are not actually found in Article 51A. By sticking strictly to the codified list found in Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, you can easily identify that family planning, despite its importance, remains outside the constitutional mandate of Fundamental Duties.