Political Science: Federalism

The One Thing

Federalism in India divides authority among the Union, State, and local governments through constitutionally defined powers. This arrangement seeks to preserve national unity while respecting regional diversity and expanding democratic participation through decentralisation.

Who and What

• Federalism: A system in which two or more levels of government govern the same citizens, with each level possessing its own powers and responsibilities. India has a three-tier federal system comprising the Union Government, State Governments, and local governments.
• Union Government: The national-level government responsible mainly for defence, foreign affairs, currency, and other matters affecting the whole country.
• State Government: The regional government responsible for subjects including police, public health, agriculture, and state-level administration.
• Local Government: Government at village, town, or city level, responsible for local services and development.
• Jurisdiction: The area and subjects over which a particular government has legal authority.
• Union List: Subjects on which only the Union Government can legislate, including defence, foreign affairs, and banking.
• State List: Subjects on which State Governments normally legislate, including police, agriculture, and public order.
• Concurrent List: Subjects on which both the Union and State Governments may legislate, including education, forests, and marriage. If Union and State laws conflict, Union law normally prevails.
• Residuary Subjects: Subjects not included in the Union, State, or Concurrent Lists. In India, the Union Government legislates on these matters.
• Coming Together Federation: A federation formed when independent states join to create a larger union while retaining some autonomy, as in the United States and Switzerland.
• Holding Together Federation: A federation in which a large country divides power between the central government and regions, usually granting some regions greater autonomy, as in India and Spain.
• Constitutional Supremacy: The principle that the Constitution is the highest authority and defines the powers of each level of government.
• Independent Judiciary: Courts with authority to interpret the Constitution and settle disputes between different levels of government. In India, the Supreme Court and High Courts perform these functions.
• Decentralisation: The transfer of power and responsibility from higher levels of government to local governments.
• Gram Sabha: The assembly of all adult voters in a village. It discusses local issues and approves the plans and budgets of the village government.
• Panchayati Raj: Rural local self-government consisting of village, intermediate, and district-level institutions.
• Municipality: An elected local government body administering towns and smaller urban areas.
• Municipal Corporation: An elected local government body administering large cities.
• Community Government: A system in which different language communities receive authority over cultural, educational, and language-related matters, as seen in Belgium.

Chronology

Causes and Consequences

• Constitutional division of power led to a federal structure in which the Union Government and State Governments possess constitutionally recognised responsibilities. Legislative powers are divided through the Union List, State List, and Concurrent List, while the Union Government legislates on Residuary Subjects.

• Constitutional Supremacy and an Independent Judiciary help preserve the federal arrangement. Changes to federal power-sharing require a constitutional amendment, and important federal provisions cannot be changed easily. The Supreme Court and High Courts interpret the Constitution and settle disputes between the Union and State Governments.

• India’s description as a Union of States reflects the combination of a strong Union Government with constitutionally recognised states. Federalism enables national coordination while allowing State Governments to address regional matters such as police, agriculture, public health, and public order.

• Linguistic and regional diversity encouraged the creation of linguistic states. Rather than weakening India, linguistic reorganisation helped strengthen national unity by recognising regional identities.

• Flexible language policies supported federal cooperation. The Constitution recognises Hindi as the official language of the Union and recognises many other languages in the Eighth Schedule. English continues to be used for official purposes alongside Hindi, and no language has the status of a national language.

• Decentralisation transferred authority and responsibility to local governments, making democratic participation more direct. The Gram Sabha allows adult voters in a village to discuss local issues and approve plans and budgets.

• The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments of 1992 created a stronger framework for local self-government. Rural local government generally consists of the Gram Panchayat at village level, the Panchayat Samiti or Block-level body at the intermediate level, and the Zilla Parishad at district level. Urban local government includes Municipalities for towns and Municipal Corporations for large cities.

• Reserved representation and regular elections were intended to widen participation in local government. At least one-third of positions are reserved for women, while seats are also reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes according to their population. Local governments must hold regular elections supervised by an independent State Election Commission.

• Insufficient powers and finances limit the effectiveness of decentralisation. The existence of local governments alone is inadequate unless they receive real authority, adequate financial resources, regular elections, and active public participation.

• Power sharing among levels of government reduces conflict and accommodates regional diversity. India’s federalism has been supported by linguistic reorganisation, flexible language policies, and cooperation between the Union and State Governments.

What Gets Asked

• How does India’s federal system divide powers between the Union Government, State Governments, and local governments?
• Compare the Union List, State List, Concurrent List, and Residuary Subjects, including what happens when Union and State laws conflict on the Concurrent List.
• Why are Constitutional Supremacy and an Independent Judiciary necessary for federalism?
• How have linguistic states and India’s language policy strengthened national unity?
• How did the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments of 1992 strengthen decentralisation through Panchayati Raj, Municipalities, and Municipal Corporations?
• Why are constitutional authority, adequate finances, regular elections, reserved representation, and public participation all necessary for effective local government?