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Poltical Science
Lession 2
Federalism

Types of Government

Federal Unitary

Two or more levels of govt. • One level of government

Sub units are not subordinats • Subunits are subordinate to
to central govt. central govt.
State govt is not answerable • Central govt. can pass the
to central government for its orders for provincial or local
own powers government

India, Canada, China, Japan, U.K,

Germany France

Types of Federalion

Coming Together Holding Together

State coming on their Large country decides
own to form bigger to divide its power
unit USA. Australia between the constituent
States & National govt.
India

Parliament Loksabha + Rajyasabha + President

Prime Minister Elected member of majority party of Loksabha

Chief Minister Elected representative of majority party of vidhan sabha

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3 fold distribution of Legislative powers

Union List:- Defence, Foreign Affairs, banking, currency and so on.

State List:- Police, Trade, Commerce, Agriculture and so on.

Concurrent List:- Education, forest, trade union, marriage and so on.

The Local Government Structure or Village Level.

Gram Panchyat- Each village or group of village in some states has a gram
Panchayat. This is a council consisitng of several members often
called Panch and a president or
sarpanch. They are directly
elected by the adult
population of ward.
Panchayat Samiti / Block
Grampanchayt Samiti:- A few Gram Panchayat
Samiti
are grouped together to form what
is usually called a Panchayat or
Block or Mandat Samiti the member
of this represintaitive body are elected
by all the panchayat memebrs in that
area.

Zila Parishad:- All the Panchayat Samiti and Mandals in a district together
constitute the Zila Parishad. Most of the mebers of Zila Parishad are elected.

Zila Parishad:- Members of loksabha + MLA's of that district & some other
officials of other district level.
Chairperson is the political head of Zila Parishad

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Memorable Facts :-
1. Horizontal distribution of power - Distribution of power among different
organs of government such as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
2. Vertical distribution of power – Distribution of power among
government at different levels such as central government, Provincial
Government, Local Government etc.
3. System of check and balance – The system in which judges are
appointed by the executive but they can check the functioning of
executive or lawsmade by the legislators.
4. Federalism: A system of government in which the power is divided
between central authority and its various constituent units.
5. In a federal system, the jurisdiction of the government of each level is
clearly mentioned in the constitution.
6. The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally
changed by one level of government in federalism.
7. The objectives of federalism are not only to safeguard and promote
unity of the country but also accommodate regional diversity.
8. Coming together federations – When independent states come
together on their own to form a bigger unit Ex- USA, Australia,
Switzerland etc.
9. Holding together federation – When a large country divides its power
between the constituent states and the national government Ex- India,
Spain, Belgium etc.
10. Jurisdiction – The area over which someone has legal authority.
11. In India, the legislative powers have been divided into three lists.
* Union List – Subjects of national importance ex. foreign affairs
banking, currency etc.
* State List – Subjects of state and local importance ex. - Police,
trade, agriculture.
* Concurrent List – Subjects of common interests of both the union
Govt as well as the state Govt.

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12. Residuary Subjects – The subjects which are not mentioned in Union,
state or concurrent list come under the power of federal or union govt.
and are called residuary subjects.
13. Coalition Government – When two or more political parties come
together to form a government.
14. Hindi is the mother tongue of about 40% of Indians.
15. Scheduled Languages : Such languages that come under eighth
schedule of the Indian constitution.
16. In 1992, a major step towards decentralisation was taken by making
the third-tier of democracy powerful and effective.

1 MARK QUESTIONS.
Q. 1 What is decentralisation of power ?
Q. 2 Name the only state of India which has its own constitution ?
Q. 3 Who plays an important role in overseeing the implementation of
constitutional provisions and procedures ?
Q. 4 According to our constitution, who has the power to legislate on
'residuary' subjects ?
Q. 5 Name the institutions of local government work in urban areas.
Q. 6 How 'Panchayat Samiti is constituted ?
Q. 7 What is called the head of municipal corporation ?
Q. 8 Who is the political head of Zila Parishad ?
Q. 9 Give an example of a country which is an example of coming together
federation ?
Q. 10 Who can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the
concurrent list ?
Q. 11 How many countries have federal political system in the world ?
Answers :
1. To divide powers among different levels of Governments.
2. Jammu & Kashmir
3. Judiciary
4. Union Government.
5. Municipalities and Municipal corporation.
6. Panchayat Samiti is constituted by a few gram Panchayats grouped
together.

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7. Mayor
8. Zila Parishad Chairperson
9. USA
10. Both Union Govt. and State Govt.
11. Federalism
12. 25

3/5 Marks Questions :-

Q. 1 Why is power sharing desirable ? Explain any three forms of power
sharing in modern democracies with examples.
Q. 2 Why was the minority 'French speaking community relatively rich and
powerful ?
Q. 3 How majori tariarism resulted in social tension in Sri Lanka ?
Q. 4 "'Sharing of Power makes a country more powerful and united ?"
Justify the statement ?
Q. 5 Highlight any three measures adopted by the Belgium government to
accommodate regional and cultural diversities.
Q. 6 Describe any three demands of the Sri Lankan Tamils. How did they
struggle for their demands ?
Q. 7 Write down the basic principles of power sharing ?
Q. 8 What is the difference between a federal form of government and a
unitary one ? Explain with examples ?
Q. 9 Describe importance of local government in present day democracy ?
Q. 10 What other factors besides politics keep the federations united ?
Q. 11 Compare the federations of coming together type and holding together
type ?
Q. 12 Which five provisions of Indian constitution make India a full-fledged
federation ?
Q. 13 Explain five changes towards decentralisation brought in the
constitution after the amendments made in 1992.
Q. 14 The creation of linguistic states was the first and the major test of
democratic politics in our country. Justify the statement.
Q. 15 What is Gram Sabha ? Describe any four functions of a Gram Sabha.
Q. 16 How have the centre-state relations been restructured to strengthen
federalism ?

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Answer of 3/5 Marks Questions :-

1. To reduce the possibility of conflicts between different social groups
and ensure political stability power sharing is desirable.
Different forms of power sharing are as under.
* Horizontal distribution of power is shared among different organs of
government such as Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.
* Vertical distribution of power.
Power can be shared among governments at different levels such
as central Govt; state Govt. and Local Govt.
* Power may also be shared among different social groups.
Ex. Religious and linguistic groups, community government in
Belgium etc.
* Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political
parties, pressure groups and movements control or influence those
in power.
2. In Brussels, the capital of Belgium, the French speaking people are in
majority . The power has been into the hands of French people for a
longer period and benefitted them for economic development and
education. The French speaking population was better read, more
qualified and had access to more resources than the native Dutch
Population . The French were part of an aristocracy of trades man and
thus were financially strong.
3. The leader of the Sinhala community dominated the government and
adopted a series of majoritarian measures which resulted social
tension.
* Sri Lanka became independent in 1948.
* In 1956 an Act was passed to recognise Sirhala as the only official
language, disregarding Tamil.
* Sinhala applicants were favoured for university and government
jobs.
* The constitution gives special protection to Buddhism.
* The leaders were insensitive to the language and culture of Tamils.
* Government policies deprieved them of equal political rights.
4. Sharing of power makes a country more powerful and united because
of the following reasons :-
* Power sharing ensures that all people have stake in government.
* Power sharing ensures maximum participation. It upholds the
concept of people's rule.

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* It ensures the political stability in democracy.

* Power sharing accommodates diverse groups.
5. (i) The constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French
speaking ministers shall be equal in central Government. Some
special laws require the support of majority of numbers from each
linguistic group. Thus, no single community can make decisions
unilaterally.
(ii) Many powers of central Government have been given to the state
governments of the two regions of the country.
(iii) The capital of Belgium, Brussels has a separate government in
which both the communities have equal representation.
6. (i) The Sri Lankan Tamils demanded the recognition of Tamil as an
official language.
(ii) They demanded regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in
securing education and jobs.
(iii) Through the formation of several organisations they demanded an
independent Tamil Eelam (State) in the northern and eastern parts
of Sri Lanka.
(iv) The Sri Lankan Tamils struggle for their demands by launching
political organisation.
7. The basic principles of power sharing are :
(i) Government of different political parties i.e.a coalition Government.
(ii) Protection of minority rights.
(iii) Decentralisation of power.
(iv) To avoid conflicts
8. (i) In a federal system, power is divided at different levels. For
example at the government level among the Executive, Legislature
and Judiciary. At the government level among the central
Government, state Government and Local Government. Each
level of Government and its organs are free to work in their
jurisdiction.
(ii) On the other hand in the unitary form of Government, all the powers
are rested in the hands of national government. In this system
either there is one level of government or the sub-units are
subordinate of central government. The central government can
pass on orders to the provincial or local government. For example,
Sri Lanka, China etc.

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9. The importance of local government.

(i) Various problems are sorted out at local level.
(ii) It helps the people to directly participate in decision making.
(iii) It reduces the burden of central Government.
(iv) Local government is according to decentralisation of power.
10. (i) Power sharing arrangement between the central and state
government.
(ii) Independent role of judiciary.
(iii) Language ethnicity.
(iv) Response to conflicting claims.
(v) Active participates of the people.
11.
Coming Together Federation Holding Together Federation
1. Under this, independent states 1. Under this, a large country decides
come together on their own to form to divide its powers between the
a bigger unit. constituent units and the national
2. All constituents states usually government.
have equal powers and the states 2. Under this, central government
enjoy certain amount of autonomy. tends to be more powerful.
3. The main aim of the federation is to 3. In this type of federation, there is
pool their sovereignty and an absence of pooling sovereignty
maintain their seperate identity to and maintaining identity.
increase their security. 4. Some examples are India,
4. Some examples are USA, Belgium and Spain.
Australia, and switzerland.

12. A federation is a country in which the powers are divided between the
union and its constituents.
(i) Two or more levels of government :
Union Government, State Government and Local Government.
(ii) Three Lists : Union List, State List & Concurrent List.
(iii) Rigid Constituion
(iv) Bicameral Legislature.
Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha
(v) Financial Autonomy : The revenue sources of both the centre and
states have been clearly defined.
(vi) Independent Judiciary

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13. The following steps were taken towards decentralization after 1992.
(i) It was made constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to
local government bodies.
(ii) Seats were reserved for scheduled castes (SCs) Scheduled
Tribles (STs) and OBCs.
(iii) Women were given one-third representation.
(iv) An independent institution called state election commission, was
created to conduct local body elections.
(v) State governments were required to share their power and revenue
with local bodies.
14. (i) After 1947, the boundaries of several old states of India were
proposed to be changed to ensure that people who spoke the same
language lived in the same state.
(ii) Some states like Nagaland were not created on the basis of
language but because of their distinct culture, ethnicity and
geography.
(iii) When the demand for the formation of linguistic states rose, some
leaders feared that it would again lead to disintegration.
(iv) But when the actual creation of states was done on the basis of
language, it so proved that the country was more united. This
process did away with all fears and tension.
(v) Thus, the framing of the language policy was the test for Indian
federation. It inspired the confidence in different language
speaking people that no language will be imposed on them.
In a way language policy has strengthened the unity and integrity of
India.
15. Gram Sabha includes all the adult people of the village.
Functions :-
(i) It elects the members of the gram panchayat.
(ii) It reviews the performance of gram panchayat.
(iii) It supervises the work of the gram panchayat.

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16. The centre state relations have been restructured to strengthen

federalism in the following ways.
(i) Linguistic States : After independence, in 1950 the boundaries of
several old states were changed in order to create new states. This
was done to ensure that the people who spoke the same language,
share the same culture, ethnicity could live in the same state.
(ii) Language Policy : Besides Hindi, 21 other languages were in the
eighth schedule of the Indian constitution. Though Hindi was
identified as the optional langiage but the central Government did
not impose Hindi on states where people spoke a different
language.
(iii) Centre - State Relations : It is the care of federalism and they are
regulated by the provisions of the constitution. Indian constitution
has demarcated the powers of the union and the state
governments but still the Union Government can have influence
over the state in many ways.

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Source: EDUDEL