CHAPTER-2

FEDERALISM

1 Define federalism.
It is a system of government in which power us divided between a
central and various constituent unit of the country.

2 Explain the major key features of federalism.

Or
Describe major features of the federal form of government.

The major features of federalism are the following:

a) Two or More Levels of Government: -
There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government. One is the
government for the entire country and the other governments at the
state or provincial level.
b) Same Citizens Separate Jurisdiction: -
Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each
tier has its own Jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation
and administration.
c) Superiority of Constitution: -
The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are
specified in the constitution. So the existence and authority of each
tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.
d) Mutual consent
Powers mentioned above are constitutionally guaranteed but can be
altered only when there is a mutual consent between the central
and the state government.
e) Sources of Income: -
Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly
specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
f) Supreme Authority of The Courts: -
Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers
of different levels of government.
g) Dual Objectives: -
The federal system thus has dual objectives: to safeguard and
promote the unity of the country, while at the same time
accommodating regional diversity.

3 Give the difference between the coming together

 federations and the holding together federations.

Coming Together Federations:

a) Independent states come together on their own to form bigger
units.
b) Increase security by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity.
c) All constituent states have equal power.
d) Example: USA, Switzerland, Australia.

Holding Together Federations:

a) Large country decides to divide power between constitutional
units and centre.
b) In holding together there is the absence of pooling sovereignty
and retaining identity.
c) The Central government tends to be more powerful than the
states. Constituent units of federations have unequal powers.
d) Example: India, Spain and Belgium

4 What makes India a federal country?

Or
'India is a federal country' Explain by giving examples.

1) The Constitution decides the powers of the central and the

state governments into different lists of subjects.
Union List:
 Subjects like defense, foreign affairs, currency, etc. are
included in the list.
 These subjects are of national importance.
 Laws related to this list are made by the Union List.

State List:
 Subjects like police, commerce, irrigation, etc. are covered
under this list.
 These subjects are of State and local importance.
 Laws related to this subject are made by the state government.
Concurrent List:
 Contains subjects of common interest to both the Union as well
as the States such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage,
adoption, and succession.
 Both the Central and the state governments can make laws in
the Concurrent List.

2) Some States enjoy a special status such as Assam, Nagaland,

 Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram under Article 371 due to their
peculiar social and historical circumstances.

3) Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, the capital city of Delhi, is called

Union Territories and the Central Government has special
powers in running these areas.

4) Under the Indian federal structure, the fundamental provisions

cannot be changed by one level of the government. Even the
Parliament cannot change the fundamental structure of the
Constitution on its own.

5) In a federation, judiciary solves the disputes between different

levels of government. In case of any dispute, the High Courts
and the Supreme Court make a decision.
5 What is the power-sharing arrangements in our country?
Or
Explain the three-fold distribution of legislative powers
between the union government and the state.

The Constitution clearly provided a threefold distribution of

legislative powers between the Union Government and the State
Governments. That contains three lists:

Union List: -
1) It includes subjects of national importance such as the defence of
the country, foreign affairs, banking, communications, and currency.
2) They are included in this list because we need a uniform policy
on these matters throughout the country.
3) The Union Government alone can make laws relating to the
subjects mentioned in the Union List.
State List: -
1) It contains subjects of State and local importance such as police,
trade, commerce, agriculture, and irrigation.
2) They are included in this list as each state has its own distinct
social, cultural, political, and geographical features.
3) The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the
subjects mentioned in the State List.
Concurrent List: -
1) It includes subjects of common interest to both the Union
Government as well as the State Governments, such 12 as
education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption, and
succession.
 2) Both the Union as well as the State Governments can make laws
on the subjects mentioned in this list.
3) If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the Union
Government will prevail.
Residuary subjects:
The subjects that do not fall in any of the three lists like computer
software, artificial intelligence, etc. are known as residuary subjects.
The union government has the power to legislate on these
‘residuary subjects.

6 The sharing of power between the union government and

the state governments is basic to the structure of the Indian
constitution. Analyze the statement.
a) Both the central and the state governments derive their power
from the constitution and it is not easy to make changes to the
power-sharing arrangement between the union and the state
governments.
b) Even the Parliament cannot change the fundamental structure
of the Constitution of its own.
c) Any change to this sharing of power has to be first passed by
both Houses of Parliament with at least a two-thirds majority.
Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at least half of
the total States.
d) Moreover, in case of any dispute about the division of powers,
the High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.

7 The judiciary plays an important role in overseeing the

implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures.
Explain the statement.
a) The Judiciary plays an important role in overseeing the
implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures by
checking and observing.
b) Judiciary acts as the guarantor of the fundamental rights of the
citizens through the procedure of writs and other provisions of
the constitution.
c) It also acts as a guardian of the constitution where ever the
power is misused the judiciary comes into action.
d) In case of any dispute about the division of powers, the High
Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.

8 How federalism is practiced in India?

Or
The real success of federalism in India can be attributed to
 the nature of democratic politics in India Explain.

Linguistic States:
a) After independence, in 1950, the boundaries of several old
states were changed in order to create new states.
b) This was done to ensure that the people who spoke the same
language and share a common culture, ethnicity or geography
could live in the same state.
c) Some states were created not on the basis of language but to
recognize differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography.
These include states like Nagaland, Uttarakhand and
Jharkhand.
Language Policy: -
d) The Indian Constitution did not give the status of national
language to any one of the languages.
e) Though Hindi was identified as the official language, but the
central government has not imposed Hindi on states where
people speak a different language.
f) Besides Hindi, there are 22 other languages recognized as
Scheduled Languages by the Indian Constitution.
g) Promotion does not mean that the Central Government can
impose Hindi on states where people speak a different
language
Center-state relations:
a) Prior to 1990, except for once, Congress ruled at the Centre for
about 40 years. These were the years when the single party
made the government
b) In 1990 there was the rise of regional political parties in many
States of the country. This was also the beginning of the era
of COALITION GOVERNMENT at the Centre.
c) Since no single party got a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the
major national parties had led to enter into an alliance with
many parties. This led to a new culture of power sharing and
respect for the autonomy of the State Government.

9 What is decentralization what is the importance or need for

decentralization in the country like India?
Or
Do you take decentralization as a means to minimize
conflicts? Give your viewpoint.

When some power is taken away from Centre and State

Governments and given to the third tier (level) of the government
this process is called decentralization.
 Locals have better Knowledge: - The basic idea behind
decentralization is that there are a large number of problems and
issues which are best settled at the local level. People have better
knowledge of problems in their localities. They also have better
ideas on where to spend money, and how to manage things more
efficiently.
Direct Participation of the People: - Decentralisation makes it
possible for the people to directly participate in decision-making.
This helps to make a habit of democratic participation.

Reduction of burden of the Central Government - It reduces the burden of the Central or State
governments. These can concentrate on matters of national or state importance in a better way. The Local
Self-Government ensures efficiency everywhere.

Women Empowerment: - At least one-third of all positions are

reserved for women in all the local bodies. This has led to women
empowerment.

10 What are the problems/limitations of local governments in India?

a) Most states have not transferred significant powers to the local
governments.
b) There is a shortage of resources.
c) Elections are not held regularly.
d) Local government does not have its own source of income; it
is dependent on state and Centre governments for funds.
e) The Gram Sabhas are not held regularly

11 What were the amendments were made by the Indian

constitution for the establishment of decentralization?
a) Now, it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections
to the local government bodies.
b) Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive
heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes and the Backward Classes.
c) At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
d) An independent institution called the State Election
Commission has been created in each state to conduct free
and fair elections for the panchayats and the municipalities.
The State governments are required to share some powers and
revenue with the Local government bodies. The nature of sharing
varies from state to state.

12 Which is the highest tier of the Panchayati Raj explain its

composition?
 The highest institution of the Panchayati Raj in rural areas is the Zila
Parishad.
a) The Zila Parishad coordinates the activities of all the Block
Samitis in the
b) whole district. Most members of the Zila Parishad are elected.
c) Members of the Lok Sabha and the MLAs of that district along
with some other officials of other district level bodies are also
its members.
The Zila Parishad’s Chairperson is the political head of the Zila
Parishad.

13 What is the main difference between the federal form of

Government and the unitary form of government? Explain
with examples.
Federal government
 Federalism is a system of government in which the power is
divided between a central authority and various constituent
units (sates) of the country.
 The federal government has two or more levels of government.
One is the government for the entire country and the other
governments are at the provinces or state level.
 A federal government must have a written constitution
 The central government cannot order the state government to
do something.
 Example: Belgium, Canada
Unitary government
 Unitary is a system of government in which all the power is
exercised by only one government.
 Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of
government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central
government.
 A unitary government may or may not have a written
constitution.
 The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or
the local government.
 Example: China, France
14
The Indian constitution provides three lists to distribute the
legislative power. State any two subjects that are included
in the union list. In which list the subject “Education” is
included and why?

The Indian Constitution has a three-fold distribution of legislative

power, which contains three lists: The Union List, the State List, and
the Concurrent List. The subjects that are included in the Union List
are those that are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Union
Government. Some of the subjects that are included in the Union
List are:
 Defense of the country
 Foreign affairs
 Banking
 Currency
 Communication

The subject "Education" comes under the Concurrent List, which

means that both the Union Government and the State Governments
have the power to make laws on this subject. The Concurrent List
contains subjects that are of common interest to both the Union and
the State Governments.

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