November 26 is observed as Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas. On this day, back in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India formally adopted the Constitution of India, which came into effect on January 26, 1950.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had notified on November 19, 2015, the Indian Government’s decision to celebrate the 26th day of November every year as ‘Constitution Day’ to promote Constitutional values among citizens. It is also a mark of tribute to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the first law minister of India, who played an important role in the framing of the Indian Constitution.
Here are some facts about the Constitution of India that you should know:
1. The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950.
2. The Constitution of India was drafted between December 1946 and December 1949 – the most challenging period. This was the time when religious riots, caste wars, and entrenched gender inequality were threatening the social fabric of the country.
3. It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by the elected members of the provincial assemblies. The 389 member Constituent Assembly took two years, eleven months and seventeen days to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India. During this period, it held eleven sessions covering a total of 165 days. Of these, 114 days were spent on the consideration of the Draft Constitution. On August 29, 1947, the Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr BR Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution for India.
4. Dr B R Ambedkar is regarded as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He is also known as the Father of the Constitution of India.
5. Constitution of India lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens.
6. It is also known as ‘bag of borrowings’ as it has borrowed several ideas from other countries.
7. It was neither printed or typed. It was handwritten and calligraphed in both Hindi and English.
8. It is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world.
9. Since the Indian Constitution came into the act, the females in India got the right to vote.
10. The word ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ were incorporated in the Preamble to the Indian Constitution during the Emergency in 1976.
