NCERT Class 10 Political Science Federalism

Federalism

What is federalism?

Let us get back to the contrast between Belgium and Sri Lanka that we saw in the last chapter. You would recall that one of the key changes made in the Constitution of Belgium was to reduce the power of the Central Government and to give these powers to the regional governments. Regional governments existed in Belgium even earlier. They had their roles and powers. But all these powers were given to these governments and could be withdrawn by the Central Government. The change that took place in 1993 was thatthe regional governments were given constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government. Thus, Belgium shifted from a unitary to a federal form of government. Sri Lanka continues to be,  forall practical purposes, a unitary system where the national government has all the powers. Tamil leaders want Sri Lanka to become a federal system. Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other.

In this sense, federations are contrasted with unitary governments. Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or the local government. But in a federal system, the central government cannot order the state government to do something. State government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to the people. 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.

QUESTION

1. Locate the following States on a blank outline political map of India: Manipur, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Goa.

2. Identify and shade three federal countries (other than India) on a blank outline political map of the world.

3. 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.

4. What is the main difference between a federal form of government and a unitary one? Explain with an example.

5. State any two differences between the local government before and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992.

6. Fill in the blanks:

Since the United States is a ___________________ type of federation, all the constituent States have equal powers and State are ______________vis-à-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.

7. 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 have strengthened national unity. Arman: Language based States has divided us by making everyone conscious of their language. Harish: This policy has only helped to consolidate the dominance of English over all other languages.

8. The distinguishing feature of a federal government is:

(a) National government gives some powers to the provincial government.

(b) Power is distributed among the legislature, executive and judiciary.

(c) Elected officials exercise supreme power in the government.

(d) Governmental power is divided between different levels of government.

9. 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

Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 10 Political Science Federalism