Modern Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
Official heading: “Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part IV, Article 48, printed page 23
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1. In One Sentence
Article 48 directs the State to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines, improve cattle breeds, and prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves, and other milch and draught cattle.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 48 combines the constitutional goals of modern agricultural modernization with the preservation of working livestock.
The first directive instructs the State to modernize agriculture and animal husbandry using scientific methods, research, and breeding techniques.
The second directive specifically instructs the State to take steps for preserving and improving livestock breeds, and to prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves, and other milch (milk-giving) and draught (work) cattle.
The Supreme Court has addressed Article 48 in several landmark rulings on cow slaughter legislation, balancing economic utility, animal husbandry, and fundamental rights.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
The government establishes agricultural research universities and introduces scientific dairy breeding programs to enhance milk yields and cattle health.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 48 covers agrarian science, livestock preservation, and cattle protection.
- Directs the modernization of agriculture and animal husbandry on scientific lines.
- Covers cows, calves, and other milch and draught cattle.
- Acts as the constitutional basis for state animal preservation and cattle welfare legislation.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part IV, Article 48, printed page 23 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.