Definitions [2]
Definition: Federalism
Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country.
Definition: Decentralisation
When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation.
Key Points
Key Points: India as a Federal Country
- 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.
Key Points: Linguistic Diversity of India
- 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.
Scheduled Languages of India
| Language | Proportion of Speakers (%) |
|---|---|
| Assamese | 1.26 |
| Bengali | 8.03 |
| Bodo | 0.12 |
| Dogri | 0.21 |
| Gujarati | 4.58 |
| Hindi | 43.63 |
| Kannada | 3.61 |
| Kashmiri | 0.56 |
| Konkani | 0.19 |
| Maithili | 1.12 |
| Malayalam | 2.88 |
| Manipuri | 0.15 |
| Marathi | 6.86 |
| Nepali | 0.24 |
| Odia | 3.10 |
| Punjabi | 2.74 |
| Sanskrit | N |
| Santali | 0.61 |
| Sindhi | 0.23 |
| Tamil | 5.70 |
| Telugu | 6.70 |
| Urdu | 4.19 |
Key Points: Decentralisation in India
- 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.
Key Points: Practice of Federalism in India
- 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.
Key Points: Concept of Federalism
Important Questions [13]
- Describe any five features of federalism.
- Examine the role of the Supreme Court in the Federal System of India in two points.
- Describe the importance of a third-tier of government in a vast country like India.
- Examine the role of the Constitution in the Federal System of India in two points.
- “Sharing of power between the Union Government and State Governments is basic to the structure of our Constitution.” Support the statement.
- Match Column-A with Column-B and choose the correct option: Column - A(Subjects) (a) E-Programming, (b) Police, (c) Education, (d) Defence
- Match the Column -A with those in Column -B and choose the correct option: Column -A (Subjects) I. Bank, II. Agriculture, III. Education, IV.Computer
- “Education” falls under which one of the following lists given in the Indian Constitution?
- Read the arguments given the favour of power sharing and choose the correct option. I. Reduce the likelihood of bias. II. Barricades the decision-making process
- Read the given source and answer the questions that follow: Language Diversity of India How many languages do we have in India? The answer depends on how one counts it.
- Answer the Following Question. Describe Any Three Provisions of Amendment Made in the 'Indian Constitution' in 1992 for Making the 'Three-tier' Government More Effective and Powerful.
- Read the given source and answer the questions that follow: DECENTRALISATION IN INDIA This new system of local government is the largest experiment in democracy conducted anywhere in the world.
- Identify the administrative system of Indian Government with the help of the following information. Power shared between Central and State Governments to Local Governments.
