Federalism

• Linguistic States

  1. In 1947, the boundaries of several old States of India were changed to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same State

  2. Some states like Nagaland, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand were created to recognize differences based on culture, ethnicity, or geography

  3. It helped to make the country more united and the administration was easier
• Hindi was identified as the official language but no language was given the status of the national language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution
• Decentralization in India

  1. The process in which the power is taken from the Central and State government and distributed in the hands of local governments

  2. This idea was brought into account as there are many problems and issues that are better resolved and taken care of at the local level than state or central level

  3. Hence several local institutes were set up to take care of them

  4. This initiative was taken by the Indian government in 1992 and the Constitution was amended to create a third-tier of government

  5. Regular elections for these local bodies was made mandatory

  6. Seats were reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other Backward classes to ensure their representation

  7. Women had one-third of seats reserved for them

  8. State Election Commission was also established to conduct these elections

  9. Some share of power and revenue that the state government had was given to these local bodies
• Panchayati raj is the local government that is present in each village. A gram panchayat is also present in some groups of villages in some states
• Big cities and urban areas are taken care of by the municipalities
• Dual objective of a federal system

  To safeguard and promote the unity of the country, and accommodate regional diversity
• Factors that make the Indian federal government attractive

  • The powers are distributed and mobilized among center, state, and local governments
  • The effective legal system and organized steps to make decisions makes the process transparent and more trustworthy
• unitary system: a centralized form of government where all authority flows from one source, usually the head of state or parliament
• India has a federal system of governance.
• In India, there are three tiers of government: Central Government, State Governments, and Local Bodies
• Federalism is a type of government in which power is divided between a national government and several smaller self-governing units (states).
• The Constitution of India divides powers between these three tiers to ensure that no single tier becomes too powerful.
• The Constitution establishes a framework for cooperation and coordination among different tiers of government.
• Unitary System: A unitary system is a type of government in which power is concentrated at the national level, with little or no autonomy given to regional or provincial authorities.
• Advantages of Federalism: Decentralization leads to better decision making as it allows for greater participation by citizens in their own affairs; It also provides opportunities for experimentation and innovation in policy development.
• Disadvantages of Federalism: The complexity of the system can lead to confusion and delays in decision making; There may be conflicts between different levels of government over issues such as taxation and resource allocation.
• The Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers who assist him/her in running the country's affairs.
• The President represents the Union Government at the Centre while the Governor represents the State Government at the State level.
• Examples of federal systems include the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, South Africa, Nigeria, Russia, and India.
• 'Coming together' federation is nothing but independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger state or country.  The United States, Switzerland, Australia, and other countries have such federations . Holding Together Federations are federations where a larger nation attempts to hold together its member states .India,Spain,Russia is an example of the Holding Together Federation.
• Belgium had a unitary form of government, but it got changed in 1993 and they were given constitutional powers which changed it into a federal government
• Levels of government in a federal system

  • National or central level
  • State or divisional provinces
• Unitary system of government

  Only one level holds political power or authority, and other levels of government work as subordinates or under the central government
• Federal government

  Cannot order the state or the local government to follow the guidelines generated by the central government
• Lists in the Indian Constitution

  • Union List
  • State List
  • Concurrent List
• Union List

  Subjects like defense, foreign affairs, currency etc. are included, and laws related to this list are made by the Union List
• State List

  Subjects like police, commerce, irrigation etc. are covered, and 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, and both the Central and the state governments can make laws in the Concurrent List
• 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
• Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, the capital city of Delhi, is called Union Territories and the Central Government has special powers in running these areas
• Union Government


  The term used in the Constitution of India to describe the central government, which is responsible for governing the country as a whole
• The Indian government is called the "Union Government"
• The term "federal" is sometimes used to describe the Indian government


  It is not entirely accurate
• Federal system


  • Power is divided between the central government and regional or state governments, with each having distinct and separate powers
• India has a system of federalism
• Union Government


  The central government has significant power and authority, and the states have limited powers that are delegated to them by the central government
• The term "Union Government" is used to reflect the fact that the central government and the states are part of a single union, with the central government having ultimate authority and control