Article 42 — Provision for just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief

The State shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Article 42 reflects the influence of International Labour Organisation conventions on the Constituent Assembly. India was a founding member of the ILO and had ratified several conventions on working conditions and maternity protection before independence. The article became the basis for the Factories Act 1948, which governs health, safety, and welfare conditions in factories; the Mines Act 1952; and the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, which was amended in 2017 to extend paid maternity leave to 26 weeks — one of the longest mandated maternity leaves in the world — and to require creches at workplaces above a certain size.

• Article 39
• Article 41
• Article 43

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026