Revision: Political Science (Democratic Politics-II) >> Federalism Social Science English Medium Class 10 CBSE

Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. 

When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation.

• India is a Union of States and follows the federal system of government.
• India has three levels of government: Union, State, and Local (Panchayats and Municipalities).
• Powers are divided into Union List, State List, and Concurrent List.
• The Union Government handles national subjects, while State Governments manage state matters.
• In case of conflict on the Concurrent List, Union law prevails.
• Some states enjoy special powers under Article 371 due to historical and social reasons.
• The judiciary protects federalism, and power sharing cannot be changed easily.

• The 2011 Census recorded over 1,300 mother tongues in India.
• These were grouped into 121 major languages.
• 22 languages are recognised as Scheduled Languages in the Constitution.
• Hindi is the mother tongue of about 44% of Indians.
• English is the mother tongue of only 0.02%, but is widely used as a second language.

• India has a three-tier system: Union, State, and Local governments.
• Decentralisation means giving powers to local governments.
• The 1992 Constitutional Amendment strengthened local self-government.
• Regular elections and reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and women were made compulsory.
• Panchayati Raj operates at the village, block, and district levels.
• Municipalities and Municipal Corporations govern urban areas.
• Local governments improved democracy, but the lack of powers and funds remains a problem.

• Federalism in India succeeded due to democratic politics and respect for diversity, not only the Constitution.
• Linguistic states were created after 1947, which strengthened unity and administration.
• India adopted a flexible language policy with Hindi and 22 Scheduled Languages.
• English continued after 1965 to avoid language conflict.
• Some states were formed based on culture, ethnicity, or geography.
• After 1990, regional parties and coalition governments strengthened federalism.
• Supreme Court judgments protected state autonomy and improved Centre–State relations.