Regional Disparities — Policy Reforms

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
42nd Amendment Act	1976	This amendment added clauses to Article 39, specifically Article 39(f), which mandates the State to secure opportunities for healthy development of children and youth and protect them against exploitation and moral and material abandonment. It also added Article 39A, providing for equal justice and free legal aid. While not directly about regional disparities, these provisions strengthen the overall mandate for social and economic justice, which is a prerequisite for reducing all forms of inequality, including regional.	Reinforced the socialist and welfare objectives of the DPSP, providing a stronger constitutional basis for state intervention to reduce socio-economic inequalities, which indirectly supports efforts to bridge regional gaps in development and access to justice.
73rd and 74th Amendment Acts	1992	These amendments institutionalized Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), granting them constitutional status and empowering them with greater autonomy and responsibilities in local governance and planning. They mandated the devolution of powers and funds to local bodies for economic development and social justice.	Significantly impacted regional development by promoting decentralized planning and empowering local communities to address their specific developmental needs. This bottom-up approach is crucial for identifying and mitigating intra-state and local-level disparities, ensuring that development initiatives are more responsive and effective at the grassroots.