Federal vs unitary, key features of Indian federalism, linguistic states, decentralisation
Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority (national government) and various sub-units such as states or provinces. Both levels of government have their own separate jurisdictions (areas of authority).
| Federal Government | Unitary Government |
|---|---|
| Two or more levels of government | Only one level of government |
| Both central and state governments govern the same citizens | Central government is all-powerful |
| Powers divided by constitution — constitution supreme | Constitution may or may not exist; not supreme |
| States cannot be changed without their consent | Central government can change sub-units unilaterally |
| Courts have power to adjudicate disputes between levels | Courts do not have special federal powers |
| Examples: India, USA, Brazil, Australia | Examples: UK, France, China, Sri Lanka |
India has a three-tier federal structure:
Tier 1: Union Government (Centre) — Delhi
Tier 2: State Governments — 28 states + 8 UTs
Tier 3: Local Governments — Panchayati Raj (rural) and Municipalities (urban) — added by 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992)
Union List (97 subjects): Subjects of national importance — defence, foreign affairs, banking, communication, currency. Only Parliament can legislate.
State List (66 subjects): State-level matters — police, trade, agriculture, irrigation, local government. Only state legislature can legislate.
Concurrent List (47 subjects): Both Centre and States can legislate — education, forests, trade unions, marriage, adoption. In case of conflict, Centre's law prevails.
Residual powers: Subjects NOT in any list → go to Centre
Unlike the USA (where states came together to form a union), India was a pre-existing country that was divided into states — a "holding together" federation.
Key features that make India's federalism unique:
• Centre is more powerful than states in normal times
• Parliament can change state boundaries (Article 3) — without state's consent
• President's Rule (Article 356): Centre can take over state government in emergency
• Some states have special provisions (Article 370 for J&K — revoked 2019; Article 371 for northeast states)
After independence, India reorganised states based primarily on language (rather than old British administrative units).
Andhra Pradesh was the first state created on linguistic basis (1953) — Telugu-speaking areas separated from Madras State.
This was a major test of Indian federalism — many feared linguistic states would break India. Instead, they actually strengthened national unity by giving people governance in their own language!
India created a third tier of government — local self-government — to bring governance closer to people.
Rural: Panchayati Raj Institutions — Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti (block), Zilla Parishad (district)
Urban: Municipalities, Municipal Corporations (for large cities), Town Panchayats
Key features:
• 1/3 of all seats reserved for women (SC/ST reservation also)
• Direct elections by citizens
• Powers given to make local plans, implement development programmes
Gram Sabha: All voters of a village can attend → direct democracy at grassroots!