Welfare State

The constitution of Australia, Canada or the U.S.A, the constitution of India has an elaborate preamble. The purpose of the preamble is to clarify who has made the constitution, what is its source, what is the ultimate sanction behind it: what is the nature of the polity which is sought to the established by the constitution and what are its goals and objectives?

The preamble does not grant any power but its gives a direction and purpose to the constitution. It outlines the objectives of the whole constitution. The preamble contains the fundamentals of the constitution. It serves several important purposes as for example:

·It contains the enacting clause which brings the constitution into force.

·It declares the great rights and freedom which the people of India intended to secure to all its citizens.

·It declares the basic type of government and policy which is sought to be established in the country.

·It throws light on the source of the constitution, viz. The people of India.

Meaning of welfare state

A system whereby the state undertakes to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits.

The Indian constitution has been conceived and drafted in the mid-twentieth century when the concept of social welfare state is the rule of the day .The constitution is thus pervaded with the modern outlook regarding the objectives and functions of the state.

It embodies a distinct philosophy of government, and explicitly declares that India will be organized as a social welfare state, i.e., a state which renders social services to the people and promotes their general welfare.

In the formulations and declarations of the social objectives contained in the preamble, one can clearly discern the impact of the modern political philosophy which regards the state as an organ to secure the good and welfare of the people.

The concept of a welfare state is further strengthened by the Directive Principles of state policy which set out the economic, social and political goals of the Indian constitution system. These directive confer contain non justiciable rights on the people, and place the government under an obligation to achieve and maximize social welfare and basic social values like education, employment, health, etc.

In consonance with the modern beliefs of man, the Indian constitution sets up a machinery to achieve the goal of economic democracy along with political democracy, for the latter would be meaningless without the former in a poor country like India.