FEDERALISM
NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
Q.1. Point out one feature of federalism practised in India that is similar to
and one feature that is different from that of Belgium.
Ans.
(i)
Like Belgium, India also has regional and cultural differences, and many
languages are
spoken. So no one language is
made the national language and equal importance is given
to different cultures and
languages.
(ii) Though in India there are
central and state governments that share power, but the centre
is made stronger than the
states. It has more powers. In Belgium, the state governments are
not subordinate to the central
government.
Q.2. What is the main difference between a Federal form of government and a
Unitary one? Explain with an example.
Ans.
In
Federal form of government, the power is divided between the central authority
and various
constituent units of the
country, whereas in the unitary system, there is only one level of
govenment or if states or
subdivisions are there, they are subordinate to the Central
government.
Example :
Federal – USA, Switzerland. Unitary – India, Belgium
Q.3. Mention two differences between the local governments before and after the
Constitutional Amendment in 1992.
Ans.
The
following changes took place as a result of the amendment of 1992 :
(i) It is mandatory now to
hold regular elections after every 5 years to local government
bodies.
(ii) 1/3rd of seats are
reserved for women in the elected bodies and the executive heads of
these institutions.
Q.4. Fill in the blanks
Since the United States is a ‘____________’
type of federation, all the constituent states have
equal powers and states are
____________ vis-a-vis the federal government. But India is a
____________
type of federation and some states have more powers than others. In India, the
____________
government has more powers.
Ans. coming together, strong,
holding together, Union.
Q.5.
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
languages.
Harish :
The
policy has only helped to consolidate the dominance of English over all
other languages.
Ans.
I
agree with Sangeeta. If the policy of accommodation was not followed, and states
were not
created on linguistic basis,
there would have been further partition of India. For example,
imposition of Hindi as the
national language would have led the South to break away from the
North and Tamil Nadu would
have become an independent nation.
Q.6. 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.
Ans.
(d)
Q.7. 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) Communication; (H) Trade;
(I) Marriages.
Ans.
Union List
Defence, Banking, Communication
State List
Agriculture, Police, Trade
Concurrent List
Education, Forest, Marriages
Q.8. Examine the following pairs that give the level of government in India and
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) Residuary
powers are given to central government only.
Q.9. Consider the following 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 some powers of the states have been devolved to
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.
(c)
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Q.1. Which form of power sharing is most commonly referred to as federalism?
(a) Horizontal division of
power
(b) Vertical division of power
(c) Division of power among
various communities
(d) Sharing of power among
political parties
Ans.
(b)
Q.2. Choose the incorrect statement.
(a) Usually a federation has
two levels of governments
(b) Both the levels of
governments enjoy theirs powers independent of one another
(c) In a federal system, a state government has powers of its own
(d) In a federal system, the
state government is answerable to the central government
Ans.
(c)
Q.3. Which are the basic objectives of a federal system?
(a) To safeguard and promote
unity of the country
(b) To accommodate regional
diversity
(c) To share powers among
different communities
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Ans.
(d)
Q.4. There are two kinds of routes through which federations have been formed.
Which are
they?
(a) One route involves
independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit
(b) Second route is where a
large country decides to divide its powers between the states and the national
government
(c) Both the above (d) None of
the above
Ans.
(c)
Q.5. Choose the incorrect statement.
(a) Belgium shifted from a
unitary to a federal form in 1993
(b) Belgium shifted from a
federal form to a unitary form of government in 1993
(c) Sri Lanka countinues to be
a unitary system
(d) Tamil leaders want Sri
Lanka to become a federal system
Ans.
(b)
Q.6. Which of the following is incorrect regarding a unitary government?
(a) There is either only one
level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government
(b) The central government can
pass on orders to the provincial government
(c) A state government is
answerable to central government
(d) The powers of state
governments are guaranteed by the Constitution
Ans.
(d)
Q.7. Which of the following is not one of the key features of federalism?
(a) There are two or more
levels of governments
(b) Each tier has its own
jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administation
(c) The existence and
authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed
(d) The Constitution can be
unilaterally changed by any one level of government
Ans.
(d)
Q.8. What is true regarding sources of revenue in a federal system?
(a) States have no financial
powers or independent sources of revenue.
(b) States are dependent for
revenue or funds on the central government.
(c) Sources of revenue for
each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
(d) States have no financial
autonomy.
Ans.
(c)
Q.9. When was the report of the States Reorganisation Commission implemented?
(a) 1956 (b) 1958 (c) 1960 (d)
1965
Ans.
(a)
Q.10. What is the third tier of government known as?
(a) Village Panchayats (b)
State government
(c) Local self-government (d)
Zila Parishad
Ans.
(c)
Q.11. The Constitution of India originally provided for :
(a) a two-tier system of
government. (b) a three-tier system of government.
(b) a single-tier system of
government. (d) a four-tier system of government.
Ans.
(a)
Q.12. Which level of government in India has the power to legislate on the
‘residuary’ subjects?
(a) Union government (b) State
governments
(c) Local self-government (d)
Both (a) and (b)
Ans.
(a)
Q.13. Which of the following is not an example of ‘coming together’ federations?
(a) India (b) USA (c)
Switzerland (d) Australia
Ans.
(a)
Q.14.
Which of the following is not an example of ‘holding together’ federations?
(a) India (b) Spain (c)
Belgium (d) Switzerland
Ans.
(d)
Q.15. How many of the world’s 192 countries have federal political systems?
(a) Only 50 (b) Only 25 (c)
Only 60 (d) Only 100
Ans.
(b)
Q.16. Which of the following subjects is not included in the Union list?
(a) Defence (b) Foreign
affairs (c) Police (d) Banking
Ans.
(c)
Q.17. Who makes laws on the subjects contained in the Concurrent List?
(a) Union government (b) State
governments
(c) Both Union and state
governments (d) None of these
Ans.
(c)
Q.18. Which state of India enjoys a special status and has its own Constitution?
(a) Bihar (b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Kerala (d) Jammu and
Kashmir
Ans.
(d)
Q.19. Which is not true regarding changes in power-sharing arrangement between
the centre
and the states?
(a) The Parliament cannot on
its own change this arrangement.
(b) Any change to it has to be first passed by
both the Houses with at least two-thirds majority.
(c) Then, it has to be
ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the total states.
(d) The Parliament alone has
the power to amend the provisions regarding power-sharing.
Ans.
(d)
Q.20. Which language was recognised as the national language by the Constitution
of India?
(a) Hindi (b) English (c)
Tamil (d) None of these
Ans.
(d)
Q.21. In which Schedule of the Indian Constitution are the 22 scheduled
languages included?
(a) Tenth schedule (b) Eighth
schedule
(c) Twelfth schedule (d) Ninth
schedule
Ans.
(b)
Q.22. Which period saw the rise of regional political parties in many states of
the country?
(a) Period after 1990 (b)
Period after 2000
(c) Period after 1980 (d)
Period after 1970
Ans.
(a)
Q.23. Which body conducts the elections to panchayats and municipalities?
(a) Election Commission (b)
State Election Commission
(c) State High Court (d)
Parliament
Ans.
(b)
Q.24. Rural local government is popularly known as :
(a) Zila Parishad (b)
Panchayat Samiti
(c) Panchayati Raj (d) None of
the above
Ans.
(c)
Q.25. Which of these is incorrect, based on the Consitutional Amendment, 1992?
(a) One-fourth of positions
are reserved for women.
(b) Regular elections should
be held to the local government bodies.
(c) Seats are reserved for
SCs, STs and OBCs.
(d) State Election Commission
looks after these elections.
Ans.
(a)
Q.26. Who administers the whole district?
(a) Sarpanch (b) Mayor
(c) District Magistrate or
Collector (d) Sessions Judge
Ans.
(c)
PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS
Q.1. The system of Panchayat Raj involves :
(a) Village, block and
district levels (b) Village and state levels
(c) Vilalge, district and
state levels (d) Village, state and union levels
Ans.
(a)
Q.2. Which one is not the part of 3 tier system of Panchayat Raj?
(a) Muncipalities (b) Village
Panchayat
(c) Block Samiti (d) Zila
Parishad
Ans.
(a)
Q.3. Which one of the following countries is good examples of ‘holding together
federations’?
(a) USA (b) Switzerland (c) Australia (d)
India
Ans.
(d)
Q.4. Which one of the following lists includes subject of common interest to
both the union government and the state government?
(a) Union list (b) Concurrent
list (c) State list (d) None of these
Ans.
(b)
Q.5. Which among the following states in India has a special status?
(a) Punjab (b) Jharkhand
(c) Jammu and Kashmir (d)
Himachal Pradesh
Ans.
(c)
Q.6. When power is taken away from central and state governments and given to
local government, it is called :
(a) Distribution (b)
Centralisation (c) Reorganisation (d) Decentralisation
Ans.
(d)
Q.7. Which of the following was not a provision of the Act of 1956 passed in Sri
Lanka?
(a) Sinhala was recognised as
the only official language
(b) Buddhism was to be
protected by the state
(c) Provinces were given
autonomy
(d) Sinhalas were favoured in
government jobs
Ans.
(c)
Q.8. Which of the following country is not an example of ‘holding together’
federations?
(a) USA (b) Spain (c) India
(d) Belgium
Ans.
(a)
Q.9. Both the union and the state government can make laws on the subjects
mentioned in the :
(a) Union list (b) State list
(c) Concurrent list (d) None of the above
Ans.
(c)
Q.10. Which of the following countries is an example of ‘coming together’
federation?
(a) India (b) Pakistan (c) USA
(d) Sri Lanka
Ans.
(c)
Q.11. Which of the following is not a
subject of the Union List?
(a) Foreign affairs (b)
Currency (c) Banking (d) Law and order
Ans.
(d)
Q.12. Choose the correct statement regarding language policy of the Indian
Government.
(a) English is our national
language
(b) Citizens are free to
choose any language as national language
(c) Hindi is our national
language
(d) Constitution of India did
not declare any language as national language
Ans.
(d)
Q.13. As per language policy of Indian Government, which one of the following
statements is
true regarding the status of Hindi language?
(a) Only Hindi is our national
language (b) Hindi is the official language
(c) Hindi has been accepted as
the mother tongue of all the Indians
(d) None of the above
Ans.
(b)
Q.14. Which one of the following countries has the federal form of government?
(a) Egypt (b) Sri Lanka (c)
Australia (d) England
Ans.
(c)
Q.15. Which of the following countries has coming a Together Federation?
(a) The U.S.A (b) India (c)
Spain (d) Belgium
Ans.
(a)
Q.16. Who among the following is called head of the state at the state level?
(a) Chief Minister (b) Speaker
of Vidhan Sabha
(c) Governor (d) Mayor
Ans.
(a)
Q.17. Who among the following is the head of a Municipal Corporation?
(a) Home Minister (b) Sarpanch
(c) Governor (d) Mayor
Ans.
(d)
Q.18. Which one of the following subjects is included in the state list?
(a) Agriculture (b) Foreign
affairs (c) Banking (d) Currency
Ans.
(a)
Q.19. Which one of the following subjects is included in the concurrent list?
(a) Banking (b) Trade (c)
Police (d) Education
Ans.
(d)
Q.20. Which one of the following countries has not adopted the holding together
federation?
(a) India (b) Spain (c)
Belgium (d) Japan
Ans.
(d)
Q.21. Which one of the following is not a feature of federalism?
(a) Two or more levels of government
(b) Different tiers of
government govern the same citizens
(c) Courts have the power to
interpret the constitution
(d) The centre government can
order the state government
Ans.
(d)
Q.22. How many other languages are recognised as Scheduled Languages by the
constitution, besides Hindi?
(a) 20 (b) 21 (c) 18 (d) 19
Ans.
(b)
Q.23. Which one of the following countries is an example of holding together
federation?
(a) India (b) U.S.A (c) Australia (d)
Switzerland
Ans.
(a)
Q.24. In local self-government institutions at least one-third of all positions
are reserved for
(a) men (b) women (c) children (d)
scheduled tribes
Ans.
(b)
Q.25. Which of the following governments has two or more levels?
(a) Community Government (b)
Coalition Government
(c) Federal Government (d)
Unitary Government
Ans.
(c)
Q.26. Which of the following subjects falls under the Concurrent list?
(a) Defence (b) Agriculture
(c) Marriage (d) Currency
Ans.
(c)
Q.27. Rural local government is popularly known as :
(a) Panchayati Raj (b) Zila
Parishad (c) State Government (d) Gram Panchayat
Ans.
(a)
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q.1.
Some Nepalese students were discussing the proposals on adoption of federalism
in their
new Constitution. This is what some of them said.
Khag Raj :
I
don’t like federalism. It would lead to reservation of seats for different caste
groups as in India.
Sarita :
Ours is not a very big country. We don’t need federalism.
Babulal :
I
am hopeful that the Terai areas will get more autonomy if they get their own
state government.
Ram
Ganesh :
I
like federalism because it will mean that powers that were earlier enjoyed
by the king will now be exercised by our elected representatives.
What would be your response to each of these? Which of these reflect a wrong
understanding of what federalism is? What makes India a federal country?
Ans.
I would agree
with Ram Ganesh. He understands that federalism means power-sharing and not
dictatorship. Sarita has a
wrong perspective of Federalism. Federalism does not depend on size.
Belgium is an example of a
small country following federalism. Federalism accommodates all
divisions and differences.
Khag Raj does not realise that if there are social divisions, they have
to be accommodated and
minority divisions are to be protected as in India.
India is a land of diversity
with so many languages, religions and regions. So the powers had
to be shared to avoid
conflict. No group can be allowed to dominate.
Q.2. Give three reasons for decentralisation of power.
Ans.
(i)
Several states of India are bigger than independent countries of Europe.
Decentralisation
is necessary for their
efficient administration.
(ii) Issues of local level are
best understood by the local people.
(iii) Strengthens democracy at
grassroot level as local people directly participate in the process
of governance.
Q.3. List the main features of the 73rd Amendment Act.
Ans.
(i)
All the three levels of the Panchayati Raj are elected directly by the people.
(ii) The term is 5 years.
(iii) 1/3rd seats are reserved
for women.
(iv) Reservations for
Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs are also provided at all the
three levels.
Q.4. Seats are reserved for women in the local self-government. Seeing the
position of women
in India as well as the corruption in politics, how far do you think this
reservation will
help? (HOTS)
Ans.
Reservation of seats for women is a major step towards enhancement of democracy
in India.
But seeing the power politics
and corruption in India, participation of women in election is still
very difficult. However, now
when the seats are reserved for them, at least some women would
come forward to participate in
the elections.
Q.5. What is the dual objective of the federal system? What is required to
fulfil them?
Ans.
(i)
To safeguard and promote unity of the country
(ii) To accommodate regional
diversity
Two aspects are crucial for
the institutions and practice of Federalism. Governments at
different levels must agree to
some power-sharing rules. They should also trust that each would
abide by the agreement.
Q.6. What is the role of judiciary in implementing federalism?
Ans.
In
case there is a dispute about the division of powers, the Supreme Court and High
Courts
settle it. For example, the
union and the state governments have the power to raise resources
by levying taxes. If there is
any dispute related to it, the matter is solved by the courts.
Q.7. What are the steps taken by our Constitution to safeguard the different
languages?
Ans.
Our
Constitution identified Hindi as the official language but took many steps to
safeguard the
other languages. Besides
Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognised as scheduled
languages by the Constitution.
A candidate in an examination conducted for the central
government positions may take
the examination in any of the languages. States also have their
own official languages, and
most of the government work takes place in the official language
of the concerned state.
Q.8. Why was third-tier of the government created?
Ans.
A
vast country like India cannot be governed properly by two-tiers only. Some
states in India
are as large as independent
countries of Europe. In terms of population, Uttar Pradesh is bigger
than Russia, and Maharashtra
is about as big as Germany. There is lot of internal diversity in
these states. Thus there is a
need of power sharing within these states, for which third-tier of
government is created.
Q.9. Write a note on the local government bodies in urban areas.
Ans.
Municipalities and Municipal Corporations are a part of urban local
self-government.
Municipalities are set up in
towns, whereas Municipal Corporations are constituted in big
cities. Both of them consist
of the representatives elected by the people. The head of Municipality
is called ‘Chairperson’
whereas the head of Municipal Corporation is called the ‘Mayor’.
Q.10. How can you say that the new system of local government is the largest
experiment in
democracy conducted anywhere in the world?
Ans.
There are about 36 lakh elected representatives in the panchayats and
municipalities all over
the country. This number is
bigger than the population of many countries of the world.
Constitutional status for
local government has helped to deepen democracy in our country. By
providing reservation for
women, it has also increased women’s representation in our country.
PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS
Q.1. Why is it very difficult to make changes in the power-sharing arrangement
between the
Union Government and State Governments? Explain with examples. (2008)
Ans.
It
is difficult to make changes in power-sharing arrangement between the Union
government
and the State government. The
Parliament alone cannot make the changes. Any proposal has
to be first approved by both
houses of the Parliament, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Any
decision has to be approved by
at least two-thirds of the majority. Then the proposed change
has to be approved by the
legislatures of at least half of the total states.
Q.2. Explain the threefold distribution of legislative powers between the union
government
and the state governments.
Ans.
For
the purpose of making laws, the subjects are divided into three lists :
(i) Union List : It
includes subjects over which only the union government can make laws,
e.g.–defence, foreign affairs,
currency etc.
(ii) State List : It
contains those subjects over which the state governments have the powers
to make the laws, e.g. police,
trade, irrigation, agriculture etc.
(iii)Concurrent List :
It contains those subjects over which both the central and the state
governments can make the laws
but in case of a clash, it is the laws made by the Central
government which will prevail.
These subjects include education, forest, trade union, etc.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q.1. Mention three policies that have strengthened federalism is India.
Ans.
The
real success of federalism in India can be attributed to the nature of
democratic politics
in our country. This ensured that the spirit of
federalism, respect for diversity and desire for
living together became a
shared ideal in our country. The policies that have strengthened
federalism in India are :
(i) Some new states have been
created on the basis of either language, culture, ethnicity or
geography. This has made
administration easier.
(ii) Even though Hindi was
identified as the official language by our Constitution, other
languages have also been
protected. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages
recognized as scheduled
languages by the Constitution. States too have their own official
languages. Thus, not declaring
Hindi a national language or imposing it on all the states
has strengthened federalism.
(iii) By restructuring the
centre-state relations, federalism has got strengthened. Earlier, the
central government could
easily dismiss the state governments which were controlled by
the rival parties. But after
1990, there was a rise of regional political parties in many states
of the country. The era of
coalition governments which needs an alliance with many parties
including several regional
parties to form a government at the centre, has led to a new
culture of power sharing and
respect for the autonomy of the states.
Q.2. In which way does the language policy in India help our country avoid the
situation that
Sri Lanka is in today? (HOTS)
Ans.
Our
Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language.
Although
Hindi was identified as the
official language but there were many safeguards to protect other
languages.
According to the Constitution,
the use of English for official purpose was to stop in 1965.
However, many non-Hindi
speaking states demanded that the use of English should continue.
The Central government decided
to continue the use of English alongwith Hindi for official
purposes. Hindi is not imposed
on states where people speak a different language. The
flexibility shown by Indian
political leaders helped our country avoid the kind of situation that
Shri Lanka finds itself in.
In Sri Lanka, the major social
groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74%) and the Tamil-speakers
(18%). In 1956, an Act was
passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus
disregarding Tamil. Due to
this, and other reasons, the relations between the Sinhala and the
Tamil communities got strained
over time.
Q.3. How can you say that power-sharing is more effective today than it was in
the early years
after the Constitution came into force? (HOTS)
Ans.
In
the early years, the same party ruled both at the Centre and in most of the
States. But in
the states where the rival
parties ruled, the central government often misused its power to
dismiss the state governments.
This undermined the spirit of federalism.
But after 1990, there was a
rise of regional parties in many states of the country. It was at this
time that since no single
party got a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national parties
had to enter into an alliance
with many parties, including several regional parties to form a
government at the Centre. This
led to the era of coalition government – a new culture of power sharing
and respect for the autonomy of state
governments.
PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS
Q.1. Describe any four features of federalism.
Ans.
(i)
In a federation, there are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
(ii) Different levels of
government govern the same citizens, but the subjects over which they
can make laws are clearly
specified in the three lists—Union, State and Concurrent.
(iii) The fundamental
provisions of the Constitution cannot be amended unilaterally by any one
level of government. They have
to be approved by both the levels of the government.
(iv) In case of a dispute
between the different levels of government in the exercise of their
powers, the courts interpret
the Constitution to decide upon the dispute.
Q.2. What makes India a federation?
OR
Explain the factors which make India a federal state.
Ans.
The
Constitution declared India as a Union of states. The following points clearly
show that
the Indian Union is based on
the principles of federalism –
(i) The Constitution clearly
provided a three-fold distribution of legislative powers between
the Union government and the
State governments in the three lists—Union, State and
Concurrent lists.
(ii) This sharing of power is
basic to the structure of the Constitution, and it cannot be changed
by Parliament; it has to be
ratified by at least half of the state legislatures.
(iii) In a federation,
judiciary solves the disputes between different levels of government. In any
such case of a dispute, the
High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.
Q.3. Explain any four features of the third tier of the government. (2009)
Ans.
(i)
It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government
bodies after
five years.
(ii) Seats are reserved in the
elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for
the Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled tribes and OBCs.
(iii) At least one-third of
all positions are reserved for women.
(iv) An independent
institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each
state to conduct panchayat and
municipal elections.
Q.4. Why does the exact balance of power between the central and the state
governments vary
from one federation to another ? Explain with two examples.
Ans.
The
exact balance of power between the central and the state governments varies from
one
federation to another. There
are two kinds or two ways in which federations have been
formed :
(i) The first example is where
independent states come together on their own to form a bigger
unit. They, by pooling
sovereignty and retaining identity, can increase their security. This
type of coming together
federations include USA, Switzerland and Australia. In this first
category, all the constituent
states usually have equal powers and are strong vis-a-vis the
federal government.
(ii) The second category is where a large country decides to divide its powers
between the
constituent states and the
national government. India, Spain and Belgium are examples of
this kind of holding
together federations. In this second category, the central government
is more powerful vis-a-vis the
states. Very often different constituted units of the federation
have unequal powers. Some
units may be granted special powers.
Q.5. Explain two achievements and two difficulties of Local Self Government in
India.
Ans. Achievements
(i) At the local level, it is
possible for the people to directly participate in decision making.
This helps to inculcate a
habit of democratic participation.
(ii) Constitutional states for
local government has also increased women’s representation and
voice in our democracy.
Difficulties
(i) While elections are held
regularly and enthusiastically, Gram Sabhas are not held regularly.
(ii) Most state governments
have not transferred significant powers to the local governments.
They do not give adequate
resources also to them.
Q.6. Analyse the advantages of decentralization.
Ans.
(i)
There are a large number of problem and issues which are best settled at the
local level.
People have better knowledge
of problems in their localities.
(ii) Local people have better
ideas on where to spend money and how to manage thing move
efficiently.
PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS
Q.1. Describe any four features of federalism.
Ans.
(i)
In a federation, there are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
(ii) Different levels of
government govern the same citizens, but the subjects over which they
can make laws are clearly
specified in the three lists—Union, State and Concurrent.
(iii) The fundamental
provisions of the Constitution cannot be amended unilaterally by any one
level of government. They have
to be approved by both the levels of the government.
(iv) In case of a dispute
between the different levels of government in the exercise of their
powers, the courts interpret
the Constitution to decide upon the dispute.
Q.2. What makes India a federation?
OR
Explain the factors which make India a federal state.
Ans.
The
Constitution declared India as a Union of states. The following points clearly
show that
the Indian Union is based on
the principles of federalism –
(i) The Constitution clearly
provided a three-fold distribution of legislative powers between
the Union government and the
State governments in the three lists—Union, State and
Concurrent lists.
(ii) This sharing of power is
basic to the structure of the Constitution, and it cannot be changed
by Parliament; it has to be ratified by at least
half of the state legislatures.
(iii) In a federation,
judiciary solves the disputes between different levels of government. In any
such case of a dispute, the
High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.
Q.3. Explain any four features of the third tier of the government.
Ans.
(i)
It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government
bodies after
five years.
(ii) Seats are reserved in the
elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for
the Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled tribes and OBCs.
(iii) At least one-third of
all positions are reserved for women.
(iv) An independent
institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each
state to conduct panchayat and
municipal elections.
Q.4. Why does the exact balance of power between the central and the state
governments vary
from one federation to another ? Explain with two examples.
Ans.
The
exact balance of power between the central and the state governments varies from
one
federation to another. There
are two kinds or two ways in which federations have been
formed :
(i) The first example is where
independent states come together on their own to form a bigger
unit. They, by pooling
sovereignty and retaining identity, can increase their security. This
type of coming together
federations include USA, Switzerland and Australia. In this first
category, all the constituent
states usually have equal powers and are strong vis-a-vis the
federal government.
(ii) The second category is
where a large country decides to divide its powers between the
constituent states and the
national government. India, Spain and Belgium are examples of
this kind of holding
together federations. In this second category, the central government
is more powerful vis-a-vis the
states. Very often different constituted units of the federation
have unequal powers. Some
units may be granted special powers.
Q.5. Explain two achievements and two difficulties of Local Self Government in
India.
Ans. Achievements
(i) At the local level, it is
possible for the people to directly participate in decision making.
This helps to inculcate a
habit of democratic participation.
(ii) Constitutional states for
local government has also increased women’s representation and
voice in our democracy.
Difficulties
(i) While elections are held
regularly and enthusiastically, Gram Sabhas are not held regularly.
(ii) Most state governments
have not transferred significant powers to the local governments.
They do not give adequate
resources also to them.
Q.6. Analyse the advantages of decentralization.
Ans.
(i)
There are a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the
local level.
People have better knowledge
of problems in their localities.
(ii) Local people have better
ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more
efficiently.
(iii) At the local level it is
possible for the people to directly participate in decision making.
This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic
participation.
(iv) Local government is the
best way to realise one important principle of democracy, namely
local self-government.
Q.7. “The creation of linguistic states was the first and major test for
democratic politics in
our country.” Justify this statement.
Ans.
In
1947, the boundaries of several old states of India were changed in order to
create new
states. This was done to
ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same
state. Some states were
created to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or
geography. These include
states like Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Some national
leaders feared that formation
of states on the basis of language would lead to the disintegration
of the country. So the Central
Government resisted linguistic states for some time. But the
experiences have shown that
the formation of linguistic states has actually made the country
more united. It has also led
to the much-needed administrative efficiency.
Q.8. Distinguish between ‘coming together’ and ‘holding together’ type of
federations.
Ans.
Some newly independent states come together on their own to form bigger unit, so
that by
pooling sovereignty and
retaining identity they can increase their security. This type of ‘coming
together federations’ included
the USA, switzerland and Australia. In such type of federation,
all the constituent states
usually have equal power and are strong vis-a-vis the federal
government.
In ‘holding together
federation’ a large country decides to divide its power between the
constituent states and the
national government. India, Spain and Belgium are examples of this
kind of ‘holding together’
federations. In such type of federation, the central government tends
to be more powerful vis-a-vis
the states. very often different constituent units of the federation
have unequal powers. Some
units are granted special powers such as Jammu and Kashmir in