CENTRE POINT SCHOOL

Federalism Notes

Q1. What do you understand by Federalism? State some of the key features
of the government?

Ans 1. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided

between a central authority and various constituent units of the country.

Eg: US,India

Key Features of Federalism:

1. There are two or more levels/tiers of government

2. Different tiers of the government govern the same citizens but each tier
has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and
administration.
3. The jurisdiction of the respective levels/tiers of government is specified
in the constitution. So it is constitutionally guaranteed.
4. The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally
changed by one level of government. Changes in the constitution need
the consent of both the levels of government.
5. Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of
different levels of government. If disputes arise between the different
levels of government, the Supreme Court acts as an empire.
6. Sources of revenue for each level of government are specified to ensure
financial autonomy.
7. The federal system has a dual objective- to safeguard and promote unity
and accommodate regional diversity.
8. Federal government have to agree on some rules of power sharing and
the different levels of the government have to trust each other.

Q2. Differentiate between federal government and a unitary government

giving an example of each.

Ans 2 .

i.Federal government has two or more levels of government. Each level of

government enjoys independent powers.
In a Unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-
units are subordinate to the Central government.

ii) In a federal system, the Central government cannot order the State
government to do something. State governments are not answerable to the
Central government.

Under the Unitary system the Central government can pass orders to the
provincial or local government.

Example -In Belgium the regional government do not depend on the Central
government .They have their own jurisdiction and powers. Since 1993 Belgium
has become a federal state.

Sri Lanka is a unitary state .The Central government has all the powers. The
sub-unit or the provinces are answerable or subordinate to the Central
government.

Q3.How can power sharing arrangement between the union government and
the state government be changed?

Ans :

i. The Parliament cannot on its own change the power sharing

arrangement.
ii. Any change has to be first passed by both the Houses of Parliament with
at least 2/3rd majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at
least half of the total states of India.
iii. This power sharing arrangement is basic to the structure of the
constitution so it is not easy to make such changes.

Q4. Which two routes are generally followed in the formation of federations?

Ans 4. 1. “Coming together” Federation

i) When independent states come together on their own to form a bigger unit
by pooling in their sovereignty, yet retaining their cultural identity to increase
their security is called a coming together federation.

Eg: U.S.A, Switzerland and Australia.

ii) All the constituent states usually have equal powers and are as strong as the
union or federal government.

2. “Holding together” Federation

i) When a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent
states and the central government, it is called ‘holding together’ federation.
Eg: India, Spain, & Belgium.

ii) The Central government tends to be more powerful than the States, the
constituent units or states may have unequal powers and some units may even
have special powers.

Q5.What makes India a federal country?

Ans : 1. The constitution of India provides for a two-tier government system.

Later a third – tier level has been added to it. The Union or the Central
government, the State government and the Local Self governments called the
Panchayats and Municipalities.

2. All the different tiers of government enjoy separate jurisdiction.

3. The constitution of India divides the powers of government between three

tiers. The legislature powers has been divided into three lists

a) The Union list b) the State list c) the Concurrent list.

4. The judiciary in India has the power to interpret the powers of the different
levels of government.

5. In case of disputes the highest court of appeal acts as an umpire between

the different levels of government.

6. The sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified in
the constitution.

Q6.What are the main features of the 3 lists that distribute the legislative
powers between the Union and State government?
Ans : The constitution provides for 3-fold distribution of legislative powers
between the Union and the State government. These three lists have been
created to demarcate their powers.

a) Union list: The subject of national importance such as the defence of the
country, foreign affairs, banking, communications, currency, etc are
included in this list.
The Union government alone can make laws on subjects mentioned in it.
b) State list: The subjects of the state and local importance such as police,
trade, and commerce, agriculture, etc. are included in the list. State
government alone can make laws on the subjects mentioned in this list.
c) Concurrent list: The subjects of common interest to both the union
government as well as the state government such as education, forest,
trade unions, etc. are put in the concurrent list. Both the Union and the
state government can make laws on it. If a dispute arises, the laws made
by the Union government prevail.

Q7. Give reasons why the federal structure has been a success in India?

Ans 1 .Clearly laid out constitutional provisions for power sharing.

2. The nature of democratic politics in India.

3. Respect for diversity

4. The desire of living together as one nation.

Q8. How is Federalism practised in India?

Ans :

A) LINGUISTIC STATES :
i) Indian states have been created mostly on the basis of language.
People, who speak the same language, live in the same state.

ii) Some states also have been created on the basis of culture, ethnicity
and geographical factors.

Eg: Nagaland, Uttarakhand , and Jharkhand.

 iii) The formation of linguistic states has actually made the country more
united and administration easier.

B) LANGUAGE POLICY:

i) Hindi is the mother tongue of about 40% of Indian, so it has been

adopted as the official language of India.

ii) However, since there are many non-hindi speaking states also in
India, English is also the official language. This two – language policy of the
Central government of India helped us avoid conflicts.

iii) Besides the two official languages, 21 other languages have been
recognised as Scheduled languages by the constitution.

iv) States to have their own official languages.

C) CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS:

i) Rise of regional political parties in many states of India.

ii) Beginning of an era of coalition governments at the centre.

iii) A major judgement of Supreme Court has made it difficult for the
Central government to dismiss the state government in an arbitrary
manner.

iv) Therefore, a new culture of power sharing and respect for autonomy
of state governments has strengthened federalism in India.

Q9. Explain the creation of linguistic states in India?

Ans :

1. In 1947 India started the policy of linguistic states and today we have 29
states in all. Many old states have vanished and new states have been
created. People who spoke the same language lived in the same state.
 2. Some states were created not on basis of language but on the basis of
differences in culture, ethnicity and geographical factors .Eg: Nagaland,
Uttarakhand , and Jharkhand.

3. The formation of linguistic states have made has actually made the
country more united and administration easier.

Q10. Why is decentralisation of power necessary in India?

Ans:

1. A vast country like India cannot be run only through these two tiers.
2. States in India are as large as independent countries of Europe.
3. Many states are internally very diverse.
(This is the rationale for decentralisation of power and creating a third
tier of government called local government in India).
4. A large number of problems and issues can be best settled at the local
level. People have better ideas on where to spend the money and how
to manage things more efficiently.
5. At the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in
decision making. They help to inculcate a habit of democratic
participation.

Q11. Discuss the major steps take towards decentralisation in 1992.

Ans : The constitution of India was amended to make the 3rd tier of democracy
more effective in 1992.

1. Now it is mandatory to hold regular elections of the local government

bodies.
2. Seats are reserved in the local government bodies for the SC, ST and
OBC.
3. At least 1/3rd of all the posts in these bodies are reserved for women.
4. An independent institution called the State Election Commission has
been created to conduct the panchayat and municipal elections in each
state.
 5. The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue
with local government bodies.

Q12. Discuss the achievements of the local self government in India and
difficulties faced by them.

Ans :

1. The new system of local government or the third tier of government is

the largest experiment in democracy conducted anywhere in the world.
2. There are about 36 lakhs elected representatives in the panchayats and
municipalities etc, all over the country.
3. Giving constitutional status to local government has helped to deepen
democracy in India.
4. They have increased women’s representation and voice in our
democracy.
5. However, difficulties still remain .Elections in Gramsabha are not held
regularly.
6. State government have not yet transferred significant power to the local
governments.
7. State governments have not yet shared their resources with the local
governing bodies.

Q 13.Why did the early attempt at decentralisation fail in India before 1992?

Ans :

1. Panchayats in villages and municipalities in urban areas were set up in all

the states but before 1992 they were directly under the control of the
state governments.
2. Elections to these bodies were not held regularly.
3. Local bodies did not have any powers or resources of their own.

Therefore decentralization was not effective in India before 1992.

Q14. What do you know about the Panchayat Raj System or Local Self
government in the rural areas?

Ans : Rural local government is popularly known as as Panchayati Raj.

1. Each village or a group of villages in some state have a Gram Panchayat.

2. Gram panchayat is a council consisting of several ward members called

panch and a president called Sarpanch. They are directly elected by all the
adult population living in that area. The Gram Panchayat is the decision-
making body for the entire village .The panchayat works under the overall
supervision of the Gram Sabha.

3. All the voters of the village are members of the GramSabha .It has to meet
at least twice or thrice a year to approve the annual budget of the Gram
Panchayat and review the performance of the gram panchayat.

4. A few gram panchayats together form a panchayat samiti or block samiti or

Mandal samiti.

This is at district level. The members are elected by the members of all the
Panchayat members in that area.

4. All the panchayat samitis /block samitis or Mandal samitis in a district

together form the Zilla Parishad. Most members of the Zilla Parishad are
elected. Some MPs and MLAs of that district are also its members .The
Zilla Parishad chairperson is a political head.

Q15. Explain the local government structure that exists in urban India.

Ans:

1. Municipalities are set up in towns. They are controlled by elected bodies

consisting of people’s representatives.

2. The municipal chairperson is a political head.

3. Big cities have municipal corporations .They are controlled by the elected
people. The head of the municipal corporation is called the Mayor.

Q16.Point out one feature of federalism in India that is similar to and one
feature of federalism that is different from that of Belgium.

Ans:
Similarity: Both the nations have the same federal structure where there is a
division of power between the Central government and the state/provincial
government.

Difference: In Belgium there is equal representation of Dutch-speaking and

French –speaking people whereas, in India, the Prime Minister appoints the
council of ministers and no community can demand reservation of fixed
number of ministers in the cabinet.

Q.17. Give two examples to show that India is a ‘Holding together federation’

Ans. Holding together federation does not give equal power to its constituent
units.

Example 1:

1. All states in the Indian Union do not have identical powers. Some states
like Jammu and Kashmir have their own constitution.
2. Many provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to Jammu
and Kashmir without the approval of the State Assembly.
3. Indians who are not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir cannot
buy land or house here.

Example 2:

1. There are some units of the Indian Union which enjoy very little powers.
2. These are areas which are too small to become an independent state but
which could not be merged with any of the existing states. These areas
are called Union Territories. Examples are Chandigarh, Lakshadweep.
3. Union Territories are run by the Central government directly.