Scribd
Upload
23 views4 pages

NOTES

Uploaded by

pranshuplays
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
23 views4 pages

NOTES

Uploaded by

pranshuplays
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Notes Class 10 Political Science Chapter 2 – Federalism

What is federalism?
Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and
various constituent units of the country.
A federation has two levels of government. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power
independent of the other.

1. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects
of common national interest.
2. Governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day
administering of their state.

Difference Between Unitary System and Federal System

Unitary System Federal System

There is only one level of government or the There are two or more levels (or
sub-units are subordinate to the Central Government. tiers) of government.

The Central Government can pass on orders to the provincial or local The Central Government cannot
government. order the state government to do
something.

The central government is supreme, and the administrative divisions State Government has powers of its
exercise only powers that the central government has delegated to own for which it is not answerable
them. Their powers may be broadened and narrowed by the central to the central government.
government

Key Features of Federalism


Some of the key features of federalism system are:

1. There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.


2. Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own
JURISDICTION in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.
3. The existence and authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.
4. The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one
level of government. Such changes require 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.
6. Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its
financial autonomy.
7. The federal system has dual objectives:i) To safeguard and promote the unity of the
countryii) Accommodate regional diversity.

Different Routes Through Which Federations Can be Formed


Two aspects are crucial for the institutions and practice of federalism: mutual trust between the
government of different levels and agreement to live together. There are two kinds of routes
through which federations have been formed.

1. The first route involves independent States coming together on their own to form a bigger
unit. This kind of “coming together” federations is formed in the USA, Switzerland and
Australia.
2. The second route is that a large country decides to divide its power between the
constituent States and the national government. This kind of ‘holding together’
federations is followed in India, Spain and Belgium countries.

What Makes India a Federal Country?


All the features of the federal system apply to the provisions of the Indian Constitution. The
Indian Constitution is a three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union
Government and the State Governments. The 3 lists are mentioned below:
1) Union List: It includes subjects of national importance such as the defence of the country,
foreign affairs, banking, communications and currency. The Union Government alone can make
laws relating to the subjects mentioned in this list.
2) State List: It contains subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce,
agriculture and irrigation. The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects
mentioned in this list.
3) Concurrent List: It includes subjects of common interest to both the Union Government as
well as the State Governments. The list includes education, forest, trade unions, marriage,
adoption and succession. Both the Union as well as the State Governments can make laws on
the subjects mentioned in this list. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the
Union Government will be considered.

How is Federalism Practised?


The real success of federalism in India is attributed to its nature of democratic politics. Have a
look at some of the major ways in which federalism is practised in India.

Linguistic States
The creation of linguistic States was the first and a major test for democratic politics in India.
From 1947 to 2017, many old States have vanished and many new States have been created.
Areas, boundaries and names of the States have been changed. Some States has been formed
of the people who spoke the same language. These states are known as the Linguistic States.

Language Policy
A second test for Indian federation is the language policy. Hindi was identified as the official
language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognised as Scheduled Languages by
the Constitution. States too have their own official languages and government work takes place
in the official language of the concerned State.

Centre-State relations
Restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been
strengthened in practice. If no single party gets a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major
national parties can alliance with many parties including several regional parties to form a
government at the Centre. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the
autonomy of State Governments.

Decentralisation in India
When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to the local
government, it is called decentralisation. The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are
a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level. Local people can
also directly participate in the decision making.
A major step towards decentralisation was taken in 1992. The Constitution was amended to
make the third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective. Here are the key features of 3-tier
democracy:

1. It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.


2. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for
the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
3. At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
4. State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct panchayat and
municipal elections.
5. The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local
government bodies. The nature of sharing varies from State to State.

Panchayati Raj System


Rural local government is popularly known as Panchayati Raj. Each village, or a group of
villages in some States, has a gram panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward
members, often called panch, and a president or sarpanch. They are directly elected by all the
adult population living in a village or ward. Gram Panchayat is the decision-making body for the
entire village.
The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the Gram Sabha. All the voters in the
village are its members. It has to meet at least twice or thrice in a year to approve the annual
budget of the gram panchayat and to review the performance of the Gram Panchayat.
When Gram Panchayat are grouped together, they form a Panchayat
Samiti or Block or Mandal. The member of Panchayat Samiti representative are elected by all
the Panchayat members in that area.
All the Panchayat Samitis or Mandals in a district together constitute the Zilla (district)
Parishad. Members of the Lok Sabha, MLAs of the district, some other officials of other district-
level bodies are the members of Zilla Parishad.
Municipalities
As Gram Panchayat is for Rural areas, similarly we have Municipalities for urban areas. Big cities
are constituted into Municipal Corporations. Both Municipalities and Municipal Corporations are
controlled by elected bodies consisting of people’s representatives. The Municipal Chairperson is
the political head of the Municipality. In a Municipal Corporation such an officer is called the
mayor.
This new system of local government is the largest experiment in democracy conducted
anywhere in the world. Constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen
democracy in our country. It has also increased women’s representation and voice in our
democracy.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy