CH 1 POWER SHARING

Power sharing, as defned to the distribution of political power among diferent levels of government, such as
the central government, state governments, and local governments, as well as among diferent social groups
within a country. It aims to ensure that no single group or institution monopolizes power, thus promoting
democracy, inclusivity, and stability within a society.
Belgium and Sri Lanka:The ETHNIC composition of this small country is very complex.
Of the country’s total population, 59 per cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks
Dutch language. Another 40 per cent people live in the Wallonia region and speak
French. Remaining one per cent of the Belgians speak German.In the capital city
Brussels, 80 per cent people speak French while 20 per cent are Dutch speaking.
The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil-speakers
(18 per cent). Among Tamils there are two subgroups. Tamil natives of the country are
called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 per cent).
There are about 7 per cent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.
Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka:Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948.
The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over government by
virtue of their majority they adopted a series of MAJORITARIAN measures to establish
Sinhala supremacy. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official
language, thus disregarding Tamil. The governments followed preferential policies that
favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. A new
constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism
Accommodation in Belgium
Here are some of the elements of the Belgian model:
 Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central
government. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no What’s
wrong if the majority community rules? If Sinhalas don’t rule in Sri Lanka, where else will they rule? single community
can make decisions unilaterally.
 Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. The
state governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
 Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The Frenchspeaking
people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal
representation in the Central Government.
 Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government. This ‘community government’
is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where they
live. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
Why power sharing is desirable?
power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict
often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
**Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy**
PRUDENTIAL and the second moral. While prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes,
moral reasons emphasise the very act of power sharing as valuable.
Forms of power-sharing: The idea of power-sharing has emerged in opposition to the notions of undivided
political power. For a long time it was believed that all power of a government must reside in one person or group of
persons located at one place. It was felt that if the power to decide is dispersed, it would not be possible to take quick
decisions and to enforce them. But these notions have changed with the emergence of democracy.
In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society. Everyone has a
voice in the shaping of public policies
There are various forms of power sharing, including:
1.Horizontal power sharing: Involves the separation of powers among different branches of government, such as the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches, to prevent any one branch from becoming too dominant.
2.Vertical power sharing: Involves the decentralization of power from the central government to regional or local
authorities, such as states or municipalities, allowing for greater autonomy and self-governance at the sub-national level.
3.Consociational power sharing: Involves the accommodation of different ethnic, linguistic, or religious groups within a
society through mechanisms such as proportional representation, coalition governments, or minority veto rights.
4.Social power sharing: Involves the participation of civil society organizations, interest groups, and grassroots
movements in the decision-making process, ensuring that the voices of ordinary citizens are heard and represented.
 CH 2 FEDERALISM
Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent
units of the country
Let us look at some of the key features of federalism :
1 There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
2 Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of
legislation, taxation and administration.
3 The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution. So the existence and
authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.
4 The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such
changes require the consent of both the levels of government.
5 Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government. The highest court
acts as an umpire if disputes arise between different levels of government in the exercise of their respective powers.
6 Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
The exact balance of power between the central and the state government varies from one federation to another. This
balance depends mainly on the historical context in which the federation was formed.
**What makes India a federal country? **
The distribution of powers between the union and state governments is what makes India a federal country. In
India, there are three lists divided between the center and state governments,
 Union List includes subjects of national importance, such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking,
communications and currency. They are included in this list because we need a uniform policy on these matters
throughout the country. The Union Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the Union List.
 State List contains subjects of State and local importance, such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation.
The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the State List.
 Concurrent List includes subjects of common interest to both the Union Government as well as the State Governments,
such What makes India a federal country? Rationalised 2023-24 Federalism 17 as education, forest, trade unions,
marriage, adoption and succession. Both the Union as well as the State Governments can make laws on the subjects
mentioned in this list. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the Union Government will prevail.
This sharing of power between the Union Government and the State Governments is basic to the structure of the
Constitution. It is not easy to make changes to this power sharing arrangement. The Parliament cannot on its own change
this arrangement. Any change to it has to be first passed by both the Houses of Parliament with at least two-thirds
majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the total States. The judiciary plays an important
role in overseeing the implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures. In case of any dispute about the
division of powers, the High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision. The Union and State Governments have the
power to raise resources by levying taxes in order to carry on the government and the responsibilities assigned to each of
them.
How Is Federalism Practised?
The real success of federalism in India is attributed to its nature
of democratic politics. Have a look at some of the major ways in
which federalism is practised in India.
Linguistic StatesThe creation of linguistic States was the first
and a major test for democratic politics in India. From 1947 to
2017, many old States vanished, and many new States were
created. Areas, boundaries and names of the States have been
changed. Some States have been formed of people who speak
the same language. These states are known as Linguistic
States.
Language PolicyA second test for the Indian federation is the
language policy. Hindi was identified as the official language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages
recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States, too, have their own official languages, and
government work takes place in the official language of the concerned State
Centre-State relationsRestructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been
strengthened in practice. Suppose no single party gets a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national
parties can alliance with many parties, including several regional parties, to form a government at the Centre.
This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of State Governments.
Decentralisation in India
When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to the local government, it is called
decentralisation. The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are a large number of problems and
issues which are best settled at the local level. Local people can also directly participate in the decision-
making.
A major step towards decentralisation was taken in 1992. The Constitution was amended to make the third tier
of democracy more powerful and effective. Here are the key features of 3-tier democracy:
1.It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections for local government bodies.
2.Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
3.At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
4.State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct panchayat and municipal
elections.
5.The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government
bodies. The nature of sharing varies from State to State.

Panchayati Raj System

Rural local government is popularly known as Panchayati Raj. Each village, or a group of villages in some
States, has a gram panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward members, often called panch, and a
president or sarpanch. They are directly elected by all the adult population living in a village or ward. Gram
Panchayat is the decision-making body for the entire village.
The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the Gram
Sabha. All the voters in the village are its members. It has to meet at
least twice or thrice a year to approve the annual budget of the gram
panchayat and to review the performance of the Gram Panchayat.
When Gram Panchayat are grouped together, they form
a Panchayat Samiti or Block or Mandal. The member of the
Panchayat Samiti representatives are elected by all the Panchayat
members in that area.
All the Panchayat Samitis or Mandals in a district together constitute
the Zilla (district) Parishad. Members of the Lok Sabha, MLAs of
the district, and some other officials of other district-level bodies are
members of Zilla Parishad.

Municipalities
As Gram Panchayat is for Rural areas, similarly, we have Municipalities for urban areas. Big cities are
constituted into Municipal Corporations. Both Municipalities and Municipal Corporations are controlled by
elected bodies consisting of people’s representatives. The Municipal Chairperson is the political head of the
Municipality. In a Municipal Corporation, such an officer is called the Mayor.
This new system of local government is the largest experiment in democracy conducted anywhere in the world.
Constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen democracy in our country. It has also
increased women’s representation and voice in our democracy.