INDIAN SCHOOL AL SEEB

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE: 2022-2023

Resource Person: Parameswaran P Hand-Out: No: 2

Ref. Book: NCERT Text - Democratic Politics Subject: DEMOCRATIC POLITICS II
Pages: 14-26 Topic: FEDERALISM

Name of the Student: _________________________________ Roll No.: ______

Class & Section: X ____________ Date: __________

S. No. Questions Marks

1 What do you understand by ‘Federalism’? 3
1. Federalism is a system of government in which the powers are divided between
a central authority and various constituent units of the country such as states and
local governments.
2. 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.
3. 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.

2 What fundamental change was brought about in the Belgian system of governance 3
in 1993? Contrast it with that of Sri Lanka.
1. Before 1993, in Belgium, the powers of the regional governments could be
withdrawn by the central government.
2. The change that took place in 1993 was that the regional governments were given
constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government.
3. Thus, after this change, Belgium shifted from a unitary government to a federal
government. On the other hand, Sri Lanka continues to be for all purposes a
unitary system of government where the national government has all the powers.

3 How do you differentiate a federal form of government from an unitary form of 3

Government?
1. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between the
central authority and various constituent units of the country.
2. A federation may have government for the entire nation and governments at the
levels of provinces or states. Both these levels of the government enjoy their
power, independent of the other.
3. A unitary government has one level of government or the sub- units are
subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass orders to
the provincial or the local government. (Where as in Federal government the
central government cannot order the state government to do something)

4 Describe the key features of Federalism/ Federal state. (Any 5 points) 5

1. There are two or more levels 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.
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 3. The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in
the constitution.
4. The fundamental provisions of the Constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by
one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both 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.

5 Give the dual objectives of the federal system. 1

The federal system has dual objectives:
1. To safe guard and promote unity of the country.
2. To accommodate regional diversity.

6 What are the two types of federations? (21/2+

OR 21/2)
Differentiate between ‘coming together’ and ‘holding together’ federation.
1. Coming Together Federations: Independent States coming together on their
own to form a bigger unit, so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity
they can increase their security.
This type of ‘coming together’ federations include the US, Switzerland and
Australia. In this first category of federation, all the constituent states usually
have equal power and are strong vis-à-vis the federal government.

2. Holding Together Federations: The second route is where 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 this category, the central government tends to be more powerful vis-à-vis the
States. Very often different constituent units of the federation have unequal
powers. Some units are granted special powers.

7 What makes India a federal state? 5

OR
What are the power sharing arrangements in India?
OR
‘The Constitution of India declared India as a Union of states…. the Indian Union
is based on the principles of federalism’. Justify the statement.

The following features make India a federal state:

1. India has a three-tier system of government: The central, the state and the local
self-government.
2. There is a clear division of legislative powers in the constitution among these
levels of Government such as the Union list, the State list and the Concurrent list.
3. The Union Parliament cannot make changes in the basic structure of the
constitution. Any amendment needs two third majority in the Parliament and also
must be ratified by at least half of the states.

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 4. Judiciary plays an important role in overseeing the implementation of
constitutional provisions and procedures. In case of any dispute about the
division of powers between the central government and the state governments,
the High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.

5. Both the levels of governments have the power to raise resources by levying
taxes in order to carry on various responsibilities.

8 What are the three-fold distribution of legislative powers provided in the Indian 3
Constitution between the Union Government and State Governments?

1. Union List includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the

country, foreign affairs, banking, communications and currency. The Union
Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the Union
List.
2. 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.
3. Concurrent List includes subjects of common interest to both the Union
Government as well as the State Governments, such 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.

9 What do you understand by ‘residuary’ power? 2

1. Subjects that do not fall in Union list, state list and the concurrent list are
residuary subjects. They have come up in the recent years like Computer
software/ IT.
2. According to our constitution, the Union Government has the power to legislate
on these residuary subjects.

10 Point out the special powers enjoyed by the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 3
OR
‘All states in the Indian Union do not have identical powers. Some States enjoy a
special status’. Explain the statement with example.
1. Jammu and Kashmir has its own Constitution.
2. Many provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to this State
without the approval of the State Assembly.
3. Indians who are not permanent residents of this State cannot buy land or house
here.

11 Which are the units of Indian Union that enjoy little power? Why? 3
1. The Union Territories do not have the powers of the state. The Central
government has special power in running these territories.
2. These are areas which are too small to become an independent state but which
could not be merged with any of the existing states.
3. These are areas like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep or Capital City of Delhi, etc.

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12 Point out the basic structure of the Constitution and explain the power sharing 3
arrangement made in the Constitution.
OR
Why is it very difficult to make changes to the power sharing arrangement between
the Union Government and State Governments? Explain with examples.
OR
What is the condition for making any change in the basic structure of the
Constitution?
1. The sharing of power between the Union Government and the State Governments
is basic to the structure of the Constitution.
2. It is not easy to make changes to this power sharing arrangement. The Union
Parliament cannot on its own change this arrangement.
3. Any change to it has to be first passed by both the houses of Parliament with at
least two-third majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at least
half of the total States.

13 What are the major tests faced by Indian democratic politics? 3

OR
“The real success of federalism in India can be attributed to the nature of
democratic politics in our country”. Explain the ways it has been achieved.

1. Linguistic States: The creation of the linguistic states was the first and a major
test for the democratic politics in our country. The Central Government resisted
this idea for some time but the experience has actually made the country more
united.
2. Language Policy: A second test for the Indian federation is the language policy.
Our constitution did not give status of national language to any one language. 22
languages mentioned in the constitution have the national language status. Hindi
is used as the official language of central government.
3. Centre - State Relations: restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more
way in which federalism has been strengthened in India. After 1990, the single
party rule in central government came to an end and state parties became
significant. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for autonomy
of state governments.

14 Why were the boundaries of several old states changed in 1947? 4

OR
Examine the differences between 1947 map of India with that of 2006.
OR
‘The creation of the linguistic states was the first and major test for democratic
politics in our country’. Explain the statement.
OR
Why did some national leaders fear when the demand for the formation of states on
language was raised?
Formation of Linguistic states.
1. 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.
2. Some states were created not on the basis of language but to recognize
differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography. These include states like
Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.
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 3. When the demand for the states on the basis of language was raised, some
national leaders feared that it would lead to the disintegration of the country. The
central government resisted the idea of linguistic states for some time.
4. But the creation of linguistic states has actually made the country more united
and it also made the administration easier.

15 Describe the language policy adopted in our Constitution. 3

OR
What is the language policy followed by the government of India?
OR
‘A second test for Indian federation is the language policy’. Explain the statement.

1. Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language.
2. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of
only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to
protect other languages.
3. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages
by the Constitution. States too have their own official languages. Much of the
government work takes place in the official language of the concerned state.

16 Point out the precautions adopted by the leaders of our country in spreading the 3
use of Hindi.
OR
Unlike Sri Lanka, the leaders of our country adopted a very cautious attitude in
spreading the use of Hindi. Comment.
OR
Why is the government not compelling states to adopt Hindi as their official
language?
OR
‘Promotion of Hindi continues to be the official policy of the Government of India’.
Explain the statement.
1. According to the Constitution, the use of English for official purposes was to
stop in 1965. However, many non- Hindi speaking states demanded that the use
of English continue. So, the Central Government responded by agreeing to
continue the use of English along with Hindi for official purposes
2. However, the promotion of Hindi continues to be the official policy of the
Government of India. Promotion does not mean that the Central Government can
impose Hindi on states where people speak a different language.
3. The flexibility shown by Indian political leaders helped our country avoid the
kind of situation that Sri Lanka finds itself in.

17 How has restructuring of the Centre state relations strengthened federalism in 5

India?
OR
Point out the significant changes taken place in the center state relations after 1990.
OR
‘Federal power sharing is more effective today than it was in the early years after
the Constitution came into force’. Explain the statement with reference to Centre-
State relations.
OR
How has the emergence of regional parties and coalition government changed the
centre-state relations?
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 1. For a long time, the same party ruled both at the Centre and in most of the states.
In those days, the Central Government would often misuse the Constitution to
dismiss the State governments that were controlled by rival parties. This
undermined the spirit of federalism.
2. All this changed significantly after 1990. This period saw the rise of regional
political parties in many states of the country. This was also the beginning of the
era of ‘Coalition Governments’ at the Centre.
3. 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 and
4. It led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of State
Governments.
5. This trend was supported by a major judgment of the Supreme Court that made it
difficult for the Central Government to dismiss state governments in an arbitrary
manner.

18 Point out the reason why the constitution has adopted decentralisation of power in 3
India.
OR

What is the rationale for decentralisation of power that resulted in a third-tier

government called local government in India in 1992?
1. Most of the Federal governments have two tiers of governments. But a vast
country like India cannot be run only through these two-tiers.
2. Many states in India are as large as independent countries of Europe. In terms
of population, Uttar Pradesh is bigger than Russia; Maharashtra is about as big
as Germany.
3. Many of these states are internally diverse. Thus, federal power sharing in India
needed another tier of government, below that of the State governments that is
local self-governments.

19 What do you mean by decentralisation of power? Examine the basic ideas existing 5
behind the decentralisation of power.
OR

What is meant by decentralisation of administration in the context of India?

1. When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to
local government, it is called decentralisation.
2. The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are a large number of
problems and issues which are best settled at the local level.
3. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities. They also have
better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more
efficiently.
4. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in
decision making.
5. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation which is the best way
to realise the principle of democracy.

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20 Point out the major steps taken to make the third- tier of democracy more powerful 5
and effective in 1992.
.
1. It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to 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. An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been
created in each state to conduct Panchayat and Municipal election.
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.

21 Analyse the Panchayati Raj system existing in rural areas. 5

OR
How is a Gram Panchayat (Rural Local Government) constituted?
1. 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’.
2. They are directly elected by all the adult population living in that ward of the
village. It is the decision-making body for the entire village.
3. The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the ‘Gram Sabha’.
4. All the voters in the village are its members.
5. It has to meet at least twice or thrice in a year to approve the annual budget of the
gram Panchayat and to review the performance of the Gram Panchayat.
22 Describe the structure and functioning of the rural local government at the district 5
level.

(Gram Panchayats - Block Panchayats- District Panchayats)

1. At the bottom level, the district is divided into several Gram Panchayats.
2. At second level, a few gram panchayats are grouped together to form what is
usually called a Block Panchayat or Mandal or Panchayat Samiti.
3. At the third level, all the Panchayat Samitis or Mandals in a district together
constitute the Zilla (District Panchayat) Parishad.
4. Most members of the Zilla Parishad are elected by the voters of the district.
Members of the Lok Sabha and MLAs of that district are also its members.
5. Zilla Parishad chairperson is the political head of the Zilla Parishad.

23 Describe the functioning of local government bodies existing in the urban areas. 3
OR
How are the local government bodies organised in towns and cities?
1. In India there are two types of local governments existing in urban areas. They
are Municipalities and Municipal Corporations.
2. Municipalities are set up in towns and big cities are constituted into municipal
corporations.
3. Both municipalities and municipal corporations are controlled by elected bodies
consisting of people’s representatives. Municipal chairperson is the political head
of the municipality. In a municipal corporation such an officer is called the
Mayor.

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24 Analyse the positive and negative effects of the introduction of the local government 5
system in India.
OR
‘We are thus still a long way from realising the ideal of self-government’. Explain
the statement.
OR
Critically evaluate the functioning of the local self-government in India.
1. In India there are local government bodies in both urban and rural areas.
2. There are now about 36 lakh elected representatives in the panchayats and
municipalities all over the country.
3. 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.
4. There are many difficulties. While elections are held regularly and
enthusiastically, Gram Sabhas are not held regularly.
5. Most state governments have not transferred significant powers to the local
governments nor have they given adequate resources.

25 State any two differences between the local government that existed in India before
and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992. (2 points each) 21/2+21/2

Before 1992:
1. Panchayats in villages and Municipalities in urban areas were set up even before
1992 but were directly under the control of the state governments.
2. Elections to these local governments were not held regularly.
3. Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own.

After constitutional amendment in 1992:

1. Local bodies enjoy powers given by the Constitution that is independent from
that of state governments.
2. It is constitutionally mandatory to hold elections to local bodies in every five
years. An independent state election commission has been set up for this.
3. The state governments are required to share powers and revenue with local
bodies.

26 Discuss one feature in practice of federalism in India that is similar to and different 3
from that of Belgium.

Similar Feature: Constitutional powers are given to the regional and local governments
in both Indian and Belgian federalism.
Different Feature: Unlike Belgian federalism, in Indian federalism regional and local
governments are dependent on the central government for finance and other matters of
national importance.

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27 Distinguish between Federal and Unitary form of government 5

Federal form of government:

a) Under the federal system there are two levels of government; one at the central
level and the other at the state level.
b) Both levels have their own jurisdiction.
c) In a federal system a state government has powers for which it is not answerable
to the central government.
d) Central government cannot order the state government to do something.
e) In most federations, there is dual citizenship- one from the country and the other
of the state. For example: USA.

Unitary form of government:

a) In a unitary form of government either there is only one level of government or

the subunits are subordinate to the central government.
b) In a Unitary system the state government does not have powers of its own.
c) The central government can pass on orders to the local government.
d) Unlike federal system, unitary system has a single citizenship.
e) Example of unitary system of government - Sri Lanka

28 Critically examine the concept of Decentralisation in India. 5

As the need for decentralisation was very much recognized in our constitution so,
various attempts have been made to decentralise power to the level villages and towns
e.g., Panchayats in villages and Municipalities in urban areas have been set up in all the
states.
a) But in all practical sense the concept of decentralisation is not very much applied
in all the states.
b) The local bodies are directly under the control of state governments.
c) The election to these local bodies/governments are not held regularly
d) Local governments do not have any resources or powers of their own, for
example in agriculture and commerce.

29 Choose the correct answer: Marks

1 Which of the following states was created on a linguistic basis? 1
a) Nagaland
b) Uttarakhand
c) Jharkhand
d) Tamil Nadu
2 Who is a Mayor? 1
a) Political head of a Municipal Corporation
b) Political head of Municipality
c) Head of a Village Panchayat
d) Head of a District Panchayat
3 Who is a Sarpanch? 1
a) Head of a District Panchayat
b) Head of a Village Panchayat
c) Political head of Municipality
d) Head of a district in Medieval India
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4 What is the popular name of rural local self-government? 1
a) Gram Panchayat
b) Municipality
c) Zilla Parishad
d) Block Panchayat
5 The constitution now provides a three-tier system of government. It does not 1
include –
a) Central Government
b) State Government
c) Panchayats
d) Taluk
6 Which one of the following will fall under ‘Residuary Subject’? 1
a) Police
b) Trade
c) Banking
d) Computer Software/ IT
7 Which one of the following countries is a coming together federation? 1
a) Australia
b) India
c) Spain
d) Belgium
8 Which one of the following countries mentioned below is not an example of a 1
holding together federation?
a) USA
b) India
c) Spain
d) Belgium
9 Which of the following is not placed under Union List? 1
a) Banking
b) Foreign affairs
c) Currency
d) Irrigation
10 Which state of India has its own Constitution? 1
a) Meghalaya
b) Sikkim
c) Jammu & Kashmir
d) Delhi
11 The distinguishing feature of a federal government is : 1
a) National government gives some powers to the provincial governments.
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.
12 Which of the following is not included in the state list? 1
a) Law and order
b) National defence
c) Education
d) Agriculture

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13 Residuary subjects are 1
a) The subjects of national importance.
b) The matters of state level importance
c) The new subjects which do not fall in any of the three lists
d) The subjects which are of common interests of both the central and the state
governments.

CBSE QUESTIONS

CBSE Questions March 2008:

1) Describe any five features of federal government. 5
2) Why the exact balance of power between the Centre and State governments 4
varies from one federation to another? Explain with two examples.

CBSE Questions March 2009:

1) Explain the list system of the Indian Federation. 3

CBSE Questions March 2010:

1) Define the term Federalism. 1
2) Name any two subjects that are included in the Union List. 1
3) Explain any four features of Federalism. 4

CBSE Questions March 2011:

1) What features make India a federation? 1
2) What is federalism? Explain any three features of federalism. 1+3

CBSE Questions March 2012:

1) Describe the division of powers between the Central and State Governments in 4
India.
2) Explain how the federal experiment has been successful in the matter of 3
formation of states in India.
CBSE Questions March 2013:
1) Name a country that is not ‘a coming together federation? 1

CBSE Questions March 2014:

1) What is meant by vertical distribution of power sharing? Explain it with 3
reference to India.
2) Name the representative body formed by a few Gram Panchayats. 1

CBSE QUESTIONS March 2015:

1) Do you take decentralization as a means to minimize conflicts? Give your view
point. 3
2) Mention any five features which make India a federal country. 5

CBSE QUESTIONS March 2016:

1) Why is decentralisation of powers considered good for a democracy? Explain. 3
2) Explain any five features of federalism. 5

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 3
CBSE QUESTIONS March 2017:
1) State any three points of distinction between the federal form of government and 3
the unitary form of government.
2) Why is it difficult to make changes in the power sharing arrangement between
the union and state governments?

CBSE QUESTIONS March 2018: 3

1) How has the emergence of regional parties and coalition government changed the
centre-state relations?

CBSE QUESTIONS March 2019: 3

1) Explain any five features of federalism.

CBSE QUESTIONS March 2020: 3

1) Describe any three characteristics of distribution of power between the
Centre and States in India.

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