Federalism

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Federalism divides power between a central government and
smaller units within a country, each with independent authority.
Key features of federalism
1.Federalism involves two or more levels of government.
2.Each level of government has its own jurisdiction in specific matters
of legislation, taxation, and administration.

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3.The constitution specifies the jurisdictions of each level of
government, and their authority and existence are constitutionally
guaranteed.
4.Changes to the fundamental provisions of the constitution require
the consent of both levels of government.
5.The courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the
power of different levels of government.
6.The Supreme Court makes judgments in case of disputes between
central and state governments.
7.Revenue sources for each level of government are specified to ensure
their financial autonomy.
8.Federalism has the dual objective of safeguarding and promoting

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unity while accommodating regional diversity.

Unitary

Federal
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Mera Bharat
Mahan

India As A Federal Country

India is a federal country with a two-tier system of government
consisting of the central government and state government.
Later, a third tier of federalism was added in the form of Panchayats
and municipalities, resulting in three levels of government: central,
state, and local.
The existence and authority of all three levels of government are
constitutionally guaranteed.
Union List

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The constitution specifies the jurisdiction of each level of government
through various lists.
The Union List contains subjects of national importance that require
a uniform policy throughout the country.
Only the central government can make laws related to these subjects.
Examples of subjects in the Union List include defense, banking,
currency, and foreign affairs.
State List
The State List contains subjects of state and local importance
that are related to day-to-day administration.
Only the state government can make laws related to these subjects.
Examples of subjects in the State List include police, trade, agriculture,
irrigation, and commerce.
Concurrent List

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The Concurrent List includes subjects of common interest to both the
central and state governments.
Both levels of government can make laws on these subjects, but in case
of conflict, the law made by the central government will prevail.
Examples of subjects in the Concurrent List include education, health,
forest, marriage, and adoption.
Residuary List
: The Residuary List includes subjects that came up after the

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constitution was made, such as computer science.
According to the constitution, the central government has powers to
legislate on residuary subjects.

India is a holding together federation where constituent states do not

have equal powers. Jammu and Kashmir had special powers with its
own constitution until 2019. Areas like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, and
Delhi are Union Territories, and the central government has special
powers in running them. Changing the power-sharing arrangement
requires a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament and
approval from at least half of the total states' legislatures. Disputes
between different levels of government are resolved by the Supreme

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Court or High Courts.

How is federalism Practised ?

India practices federalism, where power is shared between the
central government and state governments.
Jammu and Kashmir was granted special powers, but it lost its
special status in 2019.
Union Territories like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, and Delhi do not
have the powers of a state.
Changing the power sharing arrangement in India requires a two-
thirds majority in both houses of parliament and the approval of
at least half of the total states.
Disputes about the exercise of power between different levels of
government are resolved by the Supreme Court or High Courts.
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F - Federalism, power shared between center and states
E - Exception: Jammu and Kashmir had special powers, but lost them in 2019
FEDERAL D - Delhi, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep are Union Territories without state powers
E - Enacting change requires a two-thirds majority in parliament and half of state approvals
R - Resolving disputes between levels of government is done by the Supreme or High Court
A - Arrangement of power sharing in India

Linguistic States
The creation of linguistic states was a major test for

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democratic politics in India.
After Independence, several old states were reorganized to
create new states where people who spoke the same language
Hamari
could live together.
Bhasha

Language Policy
The Indian constitution does not give national language status to
any one language.
Hindi is the official language of India, and about 40% of Indians
have it as their mother tongue.
Other 21 languages are recognized as scheduled languages by the
constitution.

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A candidate can take an examination for a central government
position in any of these languages.
States have their own official language for government work.

Centre-State Relations
Rishte-Naate

For a long time, the same political party ruled both the central government
and many states, which limited state governments' autonomy.
If the party ruling in the state and center was different, the central
government often misused the constitution to dismiss state governments
controlled by their rival party.
After 1990, the rise of regional political parties led to coalition governments
at the center, which respected the autonomy of state governments. This
trend made it difficult for the central government to dismiss state
governments arbitrarily.
Decentralisation

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Decentralisation refers to the process of transferring power from
central and state governments to local government.
Local governments in India consist of Panchayats in rural areas and
municipalities in urban areas. Prior to the implementation of
decentralization policies, local government elections were not held
regularly and they lacked significant powers granted by the state
government.
Amendments of 1992

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- In 1992, amendments were made to the Constitution of India to
promote decentralization of power to local governments.
- As per the amendments, it is constitutionally mandatory to hold
regular elections for local government bodies.
- Seats are reserved in the elected bodies for Scheduled Castes (SC),
Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
- At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women in local
government bodies.
- An independent institution called the State Election Commission is
created in each state to conduct elections for panchayats and
municipalities.

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- The state government is required to share some of its power and
revenue with local governments, although the extent of sharing varies
from state to state.

D - Decentralization of power to local governments in 1992 amendments.

E - Elections are mandatory for local government bodies.
S - Seats reserved for SC, ST, and OBC.
DESIRES
I - Independent State Election Commission conducts local government elections.
R - One-third of positions reserved for women in local government bodies.
E - Power and revenue sharing extent varies between states.
S - Sharing of power and revenue by state government with local governments is mandatory.
Structure of Rural local Government

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Each village has a gram Panchayat elected by adult population Panchayat
Samiti or block is formed by few gram Panchayats Members of
representative bodies are elected by Panchayat members
All panchayat samitis or mandals form a Zila Parishad
Members of Lok Sabha, MLAs, and officials are members of Zila Parishad
Big cities have municipalities instead of Panchayats Municipalities are
headed by a Mayor and elected councilors
Municipalities have the power to levy and collect taxes Municipalities are
responsible for providing basic services in the city

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1.Explain the concept of federalism. What are the main features of a
federal government?
2.How does federalism help in promoting unity in diversity in India?
3.Discuss the distribution of powers between the central and state
governments in India.

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4.Why is it important for India to have a federal form of
government?
5.Describe the working of federalism in India with examples.
6.What are the challenges faced by federalism in India?
7.Discuss the role of the Judiciary in ensuring the success of
federalism in India.
8.Explain the role of local self-government in promoting federalism in
India.
9.What is the significance of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the
Indian Constitution for federalism?
10.How does federalism contribute to the development of a nation?

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11.How does federalism promote democratic values and principles in a
country?
12.What are the differences between a federal and a unitary form of
government?
13.Explain the concept of 'cooperative federalism' and its significance
in India.
14.Discuss the impact of globalization on federalism in India.
15.How can conflicts between the central and state governments be
resolved under a federal system of government?

*NOTE : Worksheet [Important Questions Of All typology with

Answers) is provided as Seperate PDF on website padhleakshay.com*