Federalism in India – Federal Features & Unitary Features …

Posted: April 27, 2022 at 10:11 am

Federalism is a system of government in which powers have been divided between the centre and its constituent parts such as states or provinces. It is an institutional mechanism to accommodate two sets of politics, one at the centre or national level and second at the regional or provincial level. It makes an important part of Indian Polity syllabus of the IAS Exam. This article will introduce you to Federalism in India notes.

In a federation system, there are two seats of power that are autonomous in their own spheres. A federal system is different from a unitary system in that sovereignty is constitutionally split between two territorial levels so that each level can act independently of each other in some areas.

There are two kinds of federations:

Read the difference between Indian and the US government in the linked article.

Aspirants reading the topic, Federalism in India, are also suggested to read the following topics related to Indian Polity syllabus:

All federations might not have all the above features. Some of them may be incorporated depending on what type of federation it is.

India is a federal system but with more tilt towards a unitary system of government. It is sometimes considered a quasi-federal system as it has features of both a federal and a unitary system. Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states, India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states. The word federation is not mentioned in the constitution.

Elements of federalism were introduced into modern India by the Government of India Act of 1919 which separated powers between the centre and the provincial legislatures.

Read about Constituent Assembly debates on Federalism in the linked article.

Also, read the RSTVs Big Pictures discussion on challenges to the Federal Structure in the linked article.

Federalism is an important principle and federalism in India is especially relevant for the UPSC exam. It comes under polity and governance in general studies paper II in UPSC Syllabus 2022.

Federalism in India UPSC Indian Polity Notes:-Download PDF Here

Some features are: (1) Clear division of powers between the Centre and the states, (2) Independent Judiciary, (3) Bicameral Legislature, (4) Dual government polity, (5) Supremacy of constitution.

The Indian model of federalism is called a quasi-federal system, as it contains major features of both a federation and union.

UPSC GS-II Preparation:

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Federalism in India - Federal Features & Unitary Features ...

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