Chapter 2: FEDERALISM

ONE WORD OR ONE SENTENCE ANSWERS Q1. How many countries have federalism in the world? Ans. 25 countries in the world have federal political systems which constitutes 40 per cent of the worlds population. Q2. Any exception of a large country not following federalism? Ans. China does not follow federal system. China has communist based government, having unitary system. Q3. Which countries follow coming together style of federalism? Ans. The U.S.A., Switzerland and Australia follow coming together style of federation. Q4. Which countries follow holding together style federalism? Ans. India, Spain, Belgium have holding together style of federation. Q5. Are the Indian states equally powerful vis--vis the centre? Ans. No, the Central government is more powerful vis--vis the state governments. Q6. Do any states have special status in India? Ans. Yes, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the hilly states of north east India have special status. Q7. Who rules Union territories? Ans. The central government has special powers in running the Union Territories. They do not have the powers of the state. Q8. Name the 3 new states formed recently? Ans. Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand. Q9. Which is the most diverse country in the world according to language? Ans. India. Q10. Which city experimented with the power structure in Brazil? Ans. Porto Alegre

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS ( Answers upto 60 words) Q1. What is meant by unitary type of government? Ans. In the unitary type of government, the main powers are given to the central government.

The Central Government creates State Governments, regional governments and local governments and they are subordinate to the central government. The non-central governments enjoy powers only transferred by the central government. Q2. Name a few countries that have unitary type of government. Ans. Countries such as Sri Lanka, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, China, North Korean have unitary type of governments. Q3. What is the meaning of federalism? Ans. Federalism means the sharing of power between a central governing authority and various constituent units. The power is shared among the central government and various states regional and local governments. Both the central and non-central governments are answerable to the citizens of the country who elect them. Q4. Name a few countries that have federal systems? Ans. The United States and Canada, Agentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico and Switzerland. Q5. Name the various routes of forming a federation. Ans. There are two routes of forming a federation: 1. Coming together federations 2. Holding together federations Q6. What are the different tiers of federalism in India? Ans. The constitution of India originally provided for two tier system of government. The tow tiers included the union government for the entire country and the state government for all the states in the country. However, later on the third tier was added to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions for all states having population above 20 lakh. Q7. How are the powers divided between the Centre and the States in India? Ans. There is clear division of powers between the Central and States governments as stated under the three lists Union list, State list and concurrent list. Q8. What is the Union list? What is included in it? Ans. The Union List includes matters of national importance upon which the central government would take the decisions. It includes subjects like defense of the country, foreign affairs, banking, currency and communication. Q9. What is the State list? What is included in it? Ans. The State list includes matters of state-level and local level importance on which the decisions would be taken by the state governments. It includes subjects like police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation. Q10. What is concurrent list? What is included in it? Ans. The concurrent list includes those subjects which are of common interests to both the Central as well as State governments. It includes matters such as education, forest, marriage and trade unions. Q11. Who decides the matters not falling in any of the lists?

Ans. The subjects that do not fail in any of the union, state or concurrent lists are decided upon by the Union. State or concurrent lists are decided upon by the Union government. Q12. What are union territories? Why union territories are not states? Ans. Some units of the Indian union are smaller in size in comparison to other states and cannot be merged with other states. Such units are called union territories. They are not given the status since they are too small in size to be considered as independent units. Q13. Name all the union territories in India? Ans. As of 2007, there are seven union territories: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu The Capital City of Delhi Lakshadeep Pondicherry

Q14. How many languages are spoken in India? Ans. Although Hindi is the national language, India is believed to have 1500 distinct languages where people mentioned as their mother tongue. Q15. How many people have Hindi as their mother tongue? Ans. Approximately, 40 per cent of the population knows Hindi as their mother tongue. Q16. How many people have English as their mother tongue? Ans. Only 0.02 per cent of the Indian population knows English as their mother tongue. Q17. Why is English language used for official purposes even when Hindi is the official language? Ans. English language is used for official purposes because it is the widely spoken language and the only link between North and South India. Q18. How many languages are there in the eighth schedule? Ans. 22 languages are there in the Eighth schedule. Q19. What is decentralization? Ans. Decentralization is the process of dispersing or distributing decision making power to the smaller units. Its objective is to transfer the power to the local level so that the local problems and concerns are solved in the best way. Q20. When and what was the major step taken towards decentralization? Ans. A major step towards decentralization was taken in 1992 with the Constitution ( 73rd Amendement) Act, 1992. On April 24, 1993, constitutional status was given to the Panchyati Raj institutions to make them more effective. Q21. Who is Mayor?

Ans. The Mayor is an elected Chairperson of the Municipal Corporation. Municipality is a form of local government set up in towns. Q22. What constitutes the Zilla Parishad? Ans. All the Panchayat Samitis of a district form a Zilla Parishad. Q23. Approximately how many people constitute local government in India? Ans. There are approximately 36 lakh elected representatives in the panchayats and municipalities in the country.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS Q1. What is the main difference between a federal form of government and a unitary one? Explain with an example? Ans. The unitary system gives the main powers to the central government. The central government creates the state, regional and provincial governments and they are subordinate to the central government. The federal system shares power among the central government and various state governments of a country. Both the levels of the government are answerable to the people, separately, through the legislature. Differences: 1. Federal governments differ from unitary governments in the way political power is spread. In unitary system power is centered with the central authority and in federal system, power is allocated to the state and local level governments. 2.In federal system power is allocated separately to the central and non-central level governments and is codified in the constitution. In unitary system there is no codification of the power. 3. In federal system the focus is on national and state issues and in unitary system the focus is completely on gaining power. Example: Countries such as France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom use the unitary system of government. The United States and Canada, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico and Switzerland use the federal system of government. Q2. Discuss various routes of federalism. Ans. The formation of a federation can like two routes. They are: 1. Coming together federation: Under this route, various independent states agree to come together and form a single big unit. This helps in pooling all the resources for better and efficient management of all the states through one central unit. In this type of federation, all the states, have equal powers among themselves and are strong in relation to the central government. Example: The U.S.A Switzerland and Australia 2. Holding together federation: Under this route, a large unit decides to share its powers between one central unit and several small units. The power is divided among the central authority and various state authorities. In this type of federation, states do not have equal power among themselves and the centre is relatively stronger in comparison to the states. Example: India, Spain and Belgium.

Q3. Federalism leads to reservation of seats for different caste groups. Discuss Ans. Federalism means sharing power among the central and non-central authorities. It seeks to give equal representation to all the constituent units. Even in the constituent units or in states, there is diversity in the population with respect to language, religion and culture. To give equal opportunity and voice to various social groups, there is reservation for some categories like SCs, STs other Backward Classes and women in some cases. This reservation aims to give power to the socially weaker sections of the society to give them an equal chance and representation in the political system. Q4. Federalism works only in big countries. Is the statement true or false? Ans. Federalism means sharing power among the central and non central authorities. It works in big countries where the area of the country is large and it makes it difficult to be effectively managed through one level of government. In such case, different levels of the government are formed to have broad based participation of the people. However, it is wrong to say that federalism works only in big countries. Even in a smaller country by size, which has complex diversity in respect to racial religious, cultural or language differences, federalism is practiced. The rationale behind federalism is sharing power so that there is equal representation of all the social groups. So, federalism works in countries, big or small, where there is need to divide power in various levels of the government for efficient working of the entire system. Q5. Discuss why special status has been given to a few states and discuss the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Ans. A few states in India have been given special status in the constitution due to divorce population and regions within the state itself. Special status to Jammu and Kashmir is due to the history of conflict over the state with Pakistan. The state was given to the Indian under very special terms, which provided the state with a unique position in the Indian Union. It also has its own constitution. Due to the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, various provisions of the constitution are not applicable to the state without prior permission and knowledge of the State Assembly. Also non-permanent citizens of the state cannot buy or sell land in the state. The Centres jurisdiction is restricted to foreign affairs, defense and communications, and the States legislature has the residency powers. This is in contrast to the situation of other states, where the Centres responsibilities are much more extensive and where the Centre retains the residuary powers. Q6. Is it easy to make changes to power-sharing arrangements between the centre and the states. The parliament alone cannot make any decision relating to the power sharing arrangement. Any proposed change has to be first approved by both the Houses of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, with at least two-third of the majority. Then the proposed change has to be approved by the legislatures of at least half of the total states. Q7. Discuss the role of judiciary of India? Ans. The judiciary plays an important role in ensuring the implementation of various laws and procedures. The Supreme Court of India has the exclusive authority of settling disputes between the Government of India and one or more states or between two or more states. The High Court stands at the head of a States judicial administration. The Union Territories come under the jurisdiction of different State High Courts. Each High Court has powers over all subordinate courts within its jurisdiction, namely the District and Sessions courts and other lower courts.

Q8. Why do we decentralize power? Ans. Decentralization means taking power from the central authority and giving it to lower level authorities. Some states in India are very big in terms of population such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. They are also very diverse in respect of religion, culture and language. It becomes very difficult for state government to take care of various social interests. To run such diverse states in a better way, power is given to various local level governments to take the decisions related to their specific areas. Thus, decentralization ensures smooth and effective functioning of the political system in such diverse states. Q9. What was the Amendment in regard to decentralization? Ans. In 1992, 73rd Amendment Act, gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions. It created the third tier of federalism in India below the central government level and the state government level. The objective of this Amendment was to make democracy more powerful and effective by giving power to the grass roots units of self government. Q10. List the salient features of the Amendment Act. Ans. The Salient Features of the Act are: a) To provide 3 tier system of Panchayati raj for all the States having population of over 20 lakhs. b) To hold Panchayat election regularly every 5 years. c) To provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women (not less than 33 per cent) d) To appoint State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats. e) To constitute District Planning Committee to prepare draft development plan for the district as a whole. Q11. State any two differences between the local government before and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992? Ans. The 73rd Amendment Act gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institution. Before the amendment, the: 1. Elections were not held regularly to the local governments. 2. Local governments did not have powers or resources of their own to carry out the development activities. However, with the amendment, the certain changes those made in the power sharing arrangements of the States and the local governments. The Act specified: 1. It was constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to the local government bodies. 2. Also the State governments are required to share some sources of revenue with the local governments to enable them to carry out the developmental activities. Q12. Explain the working of rural local government? Ans. Under the 3 tier system of decentralization, Zila Parishad is the apex, body at the district level. It is followed by Panchayat Samitis at the block kevel as the second tier and is further followed by Gram Panchayats as the third tier. Each village, generally, has a gram panchayat whose members are elected by the entire adult population of the village. A few gram panchayats are joined together to form a Panchayat Samiti or Block. All the Panchayat Samitis in a district collectively make the Zilla Parishad. Q13. What are the powers and responsibilities of Panchayats?

Ans. According to the constitutions, panchayats shall be given power and authority in relation to the following matters: a) Preparation of plan for economic development and social justice for the village. b) Implementation of schemes for economic development of the villages. c) It will charge and collect all the due taxes, duties, tolls and fees. Q14. What are the functions of Gram Sabha? Ans. The Gram Sabha has a key role for effective functioning of the Panachayats. In the Gram Sabha meeting, the rural poor, the women and the marginalized people get the opportunity to join in decision making on matters affecting their lives. Following are the functions of the gram Sabha. 1. Gram Sabha should meet at least in each quarter preferably on Republic Day. Labour Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. 2. It should decide the development work which is to be carried out by Panchayats. 3. It should suggest remedial measures for economy and efficiency in the functioning of Panchayats. 4. It should Question and examine the decisions of Panchayats in the meeting of gram Sabha. 5. It should discuss the Annual Financial Statement of Gram Panchayats and examine the revenues and examine the revenues and expenditures incurred. Q15. What are the demerits of local self government? Ans. 1. Irregular Elections: In most states, elections to Panchayats are irregular and uncertain leading to monopoly of the previously elected powers. 2. Domination of Upper Caste: The Panchayati Raj system is mostly dominated by the rich farmers, money lenders and upper caste people. That is why the new Panchayati Raj Act provides for reservation for SCs and STs in proportion to their population. 3. Ignorance, Illiteracy and Poverty of the Villagers: Ignorance about the rights is high among the villagers. Also illiteracy and poverty of the people lead to less enthusiasm about the panchayati raj system. 4. Excessive Official Control: District officials interfere unnecessarily in the working of the panchayats and also dissolve it or suspend it according to their will. 5. Lack of adequate funds: A lot of money is needed for the developmental activities and the sources of income are limited. This leads to ill-functioning of the panchyat system. Q16. Point out one feature in the practice of federalism in India that is similar to and one feature that is different from that of Belgium? Ans. One Similar Feature of Federalism between India and Belgium: India and Belgium, there are three kinds of government- government at the centre, government at the state level and third kind of government is the Community government. The community government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues. But in India, there is no third kind of government, there is no Community government. Here there are only two types of governments. The first kind of government is at the centre and the second kind of government is at the state level. Q17. Here are three reactions to the language policy followed in India. Give an argument and an example to support any of these positions? Sangeeta: The Policy of accommodation has strengthened national unity. Arman: Language based states have divided us by making everyone conscious of their language. Harish: This policy has only helped to consolidate the dominance of English all over other languages. Ans. The position and idea held by Sangeeta are the right one. In reality, the policy of

accommodation has strengthened national unity. According to the Constitution, the use of English for official purposes was to stop is 1965. But many non-Hindi speaking states demanded that the use of English should continue. The Central Government agreed to continue the use of English alongwith Hindi for official purposes. Such a flexibility shown by the Indian Government helped our country to avoid the conflict that is being faced by Sri Lanka. Q18. Fill in the blanks: Since the United States is a _________type of federation, all the constituent states have equal powers and states are ___________ vis--vis the federal government. But India is a _________type of federation and some states have more power than others. In India the _________ government has more powers. Ans. Since the United States is a coming together type of federation, all the constituent states have equal powers and states are stronger vis--vis the federal government. But India is a holding together type of federation and some states have more powers than others. In India the central government has more powers. Q19. The distinguishing feature of a federal government is: a) National government gives some power to the provincial government. b) Power is distributed among the legislature, exective and judiciary. c) Elected officials exercise supreme power in the government. d) Governmental power is divided between different levels of government. Ans. (d) Q20. A few subjects in various lists of the Indian Constitution are given here. Group them under the Union, State and Concurrent lists as provided in the table below: A. Defence B. Police C. AGRICULTURE D. Education E. Banking F. forests G. Communications H. Trade I. Marriages Union List State List Concurrent List Ans. Union List: A. Defense B. Banking C. Communication State List: B. Police C. Agriculture H. Forests Concurrent List: D. Education E. Forests F. Marriage Q21. Examine the following pairs that given the level of government in India ad the powers of the government at that level to make laws on the subjects mentioned against each. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

a State Government State List b Central Government Union List c Central and State Governments Concurrent List d Local governments Residuary powers Ans. d. Q22. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List II 1. Union of India A Prime Minister 2 State B. Sarpanch 3 Municipal Corporation C Governor 4 Gram Panchayat D Mayor 1234 aDABC bBCDA cACDB dCDAB Ans. Q23. Consider the following two statements: A. In a federation the powers of the federal and provincial governments are clearly demarcated. B. India is a federation because the powers of the Union and State Governments are specified in the Constitution and they have exclusive jurisdiction on their respective subjects. C. Sri Lanka is a federation because the country is divided into provinces. D. India is no longer a federation because the some powers of the states have been devolved in the local government bodies. Which of the statements given above are correct: a. A, B, and C b. A, C, and D c. A and B only d. B and C only Ans.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS ( Answer in 100 120 words) Q1. What are the key features of federalism? Ans. federalism means sharing power among the central government for the entire country and various state governments for each state. As in India, the powers of both the central as well as state governments are clearly specified in the constitution. Both the levels of the government to do something. Also, both levels of the government are answerable to the people through the legislature. The key features of federalism are: 1. There are two or more levels of government. Usually, there is one central authority for the

entire country and various regional authorities for different regions. 2. Different levels of the government rule the same set of people, but each one is responsible for its own area of decisions. Also each level has its own legal authority in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration. 3. The constitution of India has clearly specified the areas in which the decisions would be taken by the central government and the areas where the decisions would be taken by the state government. In other words, the existence and authority of each level is safeguarded by the constitution. 4. Any one level of government cannot change the power sharing arrangement unilaterally. Any change in the existing power sharing arrangements needs consent of both the levels of the government. 5. The courts or the judicial body has the power to interpret the constitution and the powers given to various levels of the government. The Supreme Court of India solves the disputes, if they arise, over power sharing system among the central and state governments. 6. To ensure the financial independence of each level of government, the sources of revenue are specified for each level in the constitution. 7. The federal system has two objectives: i) It should safeguard the country as well as promote the unity of the country. ii) To promote unity it should recognize and respect the regional diversity. Thus, the two levels of the government are expected to work together with trust and cooperation. Each level is expected to work to its best towards the national and state issues, thus strengthening the entire country. Q2. What makes India a federation? Or What are the features of a federal government? Ans. A federation is a political arrangement in which the activities of the government are divided between the central government and various state governments such that each level of the government has certain powers under its jurisdiction. The features of a federal government are: 1. Division of powers: The most important feature of a federation is the division of powers between a central government and various state governments. The subjects of national importance are placed under central governments authority and subjects of regional and states importance are placed under state governments authority. 2. Written and Rigid Constitution: The second feature of a federal government is that it has a written, rigid and a supreme constitution. Constitution is an agreement and it lays down the basic structure of government under which the people are to b governed. It is a rigid constitution in the sense that no changes can be made in it unless both the national and state governments approve of the changes. The constitution is supreme which means that the central and atste legislatures exercise their powers as specified by the constitution. 3. An Independent Judiciary: India has an independent judicial system. The supreme court of India has original powers and has the exclusive authority of settling disputes between the Government of India and one or more states, or between two or more states. Q3. How are the powers divided between the states and centre? Ans. The constitution of India clearly specifies the powers that are to be placed under central and state governments authority. The division of powers between the central and state governments is done in a three-fold distribution way. There are three lists: union list, state list and concurrent list which includes the powers to be shared between the central government and the state governments. The three lists include: 1. Union List: It includes subjects of national importance. The central government alone can

make decisions on these matters such as defense of the nation, foreign affairs, banking, currency and communications. The aim of including these matters in union list is to ensure uniformity in the policy of these areas throughout the country. 2. State List: It includes matters of state level importance. The state government alone can make decisions on these areas. They include matters such as police, trade, agriculture, commerce and irrigation. 3. Concurrent List: It includes those subjects which are of common interests to both the central as well as state governments. It includes matters such as education, forest, marriage and trade unions. Both the state and central governments can make decisions on these matters. Q4. How is federalism practiced? Or What policies have strengthened federalism? Ans. Federalism means sharing power among the central government for the entire country and various state governments for each state. The main aim of federalism is to ensure equal representation of all the major regions and social groups in the governance of the country. 1. Linguistic Policies: In the 1950s several old states disappeared and new states were created by changing the area and boundaries of old states. The formation of new states was done to keep the people speaking the same language, together in same state. Some new states were also created to recognize the cultural and religions differences like Nagaland, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand. 2.Language Policy: India is the most diverse country in the world in respect of language. Although Hindi is one of the scheduled languages, India is believed to have 1500 mother tongues, of which 33 are spoken by people numbering over a lakh. The officially recognized languages are 22 according to the English Schedule of the constitution. 3. Centre-State Relations: This is a critical in relation to any federation since the centre state relations decide the extent to which the ruling parties and leaders follow the power sharing arrangements. Till recently, the same party used to rule the central as well as the state governments which reduced the difference between them. Even when the parties ruling the centre and the states were different, the central government tried to dominate and undermine the state governments. Thus, various policies adopted in India have ensured that all the regions, languages and cultures are recognized and respected. This has strengthened the country and has also reduced the possibility of the social conflicts arising out of varied social interests. The policies adopted have thus helped in making Indian federation stronger.