Environment & Ecology·Environmental Laws
Directive Principles — Environmental Laws
Constitution VerifiedUPSC Verified
Version 1Updated 5 Mar 2026
| Entry | Year | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42nd Amendment | 1976 | Added Article 48A mandating environmental protection and forest conservation, and inserted environmental protection as a fundamental duty under Article 51A(g). This amendment created the constitutional framework for environmental governance in India. | Established constitutional foundation for all environmental legislation and policy in India, enabled judicial activism in environmental protection, and created shared responsibility between state and citizens for environmental conservation |
| 73rd Amendment | 1992 | Included environmental protection, ecological aspects of planning, and social forestry in the Eleventh Schedule as Panchayat functions, operationalizing environmental DPSPs at grassroots level. | Decentralized environmental governance, enabled community participation in environmental protection, and made environmental DPSPs implementable at village level |
| 74th Amendment | 1992 | Assigned environmental protection, urban planning, and regulation of land use to municipalities through the Twelfth Schedule, extending environmental governance to urban areas. | Created urban environmental governance framework, enabled municipal environmental planning, and integrated environmental protection with urban development |