The State is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a Democratic Socialist Society, the objectives of which include –

1. the full realization of the fundamental rights and freedoms of all persons

2. the promotion of the welfare of the People by securing and protecting as effectively as it may, a social order in which justice (social, economic and political) shall guide all the institutions of the national life

3. the realization by all citizens of an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing and housing, the continuous improvement of living conditions and the full enjoyment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities

4. the rapid development of the whole country by means of public and private economic activity and by laws prescribing such planning and controls as may be expedient for directing and Co-ordinating such public and private economic activity towards social objectives and the public weal

5. the equitable distribution among all citizens of the material resources of the community and the social product, so as best to subserve the common good;

6. the establishment of a just social order in which the means of production, distribution and exchange are not concentrated and centralised in the State, State agencies or in the hands of a privileged few, but are dispersed among and owned by, all the People of Sri Lanka;

7. raising the moral and cultural standards of the People and ensuring the full development of human personality; and

8. the complete eradication of illiteracy and the assurance to all persons of the right to universal and equal access to education at all levels.