CH-2: FEDERALISM Q&A

CLASS-X
1. Name the countries which have ‘Coming Together Federation’.
USA, Switzerland and Australia

2. Name the countries which have ‘Holding Together Federation’.

India, Spain and Belgium

3. Define the term ‘Jurisdiction’?

Jurisdiction refers to the area(in terms of geographical boundaries or certain kinds of subjects) over which
someone has legal authority.

4. State the dual objectives of federal system? What are the two aspects that are crucial in the practice of
federalism?
The dual objectives are:
a) to safeguard and promote unity of the country.
b) to accommodate regional diversities.

The aspects that are crucial to the practice of federalism are:

a) The government at different levels should agree to some rules of power sharing
b) They should trust that each will abide by its part of agreement.

5. What is federalism?
a) Federalism is a system of government in which the power is shared between a central authority and
various constituents units of the country.
b) Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is at the centre another at different states level.
Both these levels of governments enjoy their powers independent of each other.
c) Some countries have three levels of government. Eg. In India power is divided between the Centre, States
and Panchayats and municipalities.

6. Discuss the important features of federalism.

a) There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
b) Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific
matters of legislation, taxation and administration.
c) The jurisdictions of the respective levels of government are specified in the constitution.
d) 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.
e) 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.
f) Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
g) The federal system has dual objectives: to safeguard and promote unity of the country and accommodate
regional diversity.

7. How is the legislative power divided between the Centre and State Government in the Indian
Constitution?
Power between the Centre and the State Government is divided into three lists:
a) Union List: It includes 97 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.
b) State List: It contains 66 subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce,
agriculture and irrigation. The State Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned
in the State List.
c) Concurrent List: It includes 47 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 and 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.
Subjects like Environment Pollution, Cyber Crime, etc. that came up after the constitution was made were
put under ‘residuary’ subjects. According to our constitution, the Union Government has the power to
legislate on these ‘residuary’ subjects.

8. What makes India a federal country? REFER TO Q6

a) In India we have three tiers of government- Cente, State and Panchayats.
b) Each tier of the government has its well defined functions and responsibilities.
c) Each tier of the government has its own independent sources of revenue.

9. Distinguish between a federal form of government and a unitary form of government.

FEDERAL UNITARY
1 There is decentralization of power There is centralization of power
2 States are independent units States are subordinate to the Central government.
3 The Central government cannot pass orders to The Central government can pass orders to the state
the state or the local government. government.
4 State government has powers of its own and is The state government is answerable to the Central
not answerable to the Central government government
5 Sources of revenue are separate for each level Central government allocates funds to the state
of government government.

10. Compare the ‘Coming Together’ and ‘Holding Together’ federations.

COMING TOGETHER HOLDING TOGETHER

1 It involves independent States coming together The country decides to divide its power between
on their own to form a bigger unit, ,. the constituent States and the national
government category,.
2 The units increase their security by pooling There is absence of pooling sovereignty and
sovereignty and retaining identity. retaining identity. States are subordinate to the
Centre.
3 The constituent units usually have equal power The Central government tends to be more
and are strong vis-à-vis the Central government powerful vis-à-vis the States.
4 Eg. USA, Switzerland and Australia. Eg. India, Spain and Belgium

11. What is the role of judiciary in a federal set up of government? OR “Judiciary plays an important role in
Indian federalism”. Justify the statement.
a) Judiciary, with the Supreme Court at the apex, is the sole interpreter of the Indian Constitution.
b) It oversees the implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures.
c) The judiciary has to play an impartial role between Centre-state relations.
d) In case of any dispute about the division of powers between Centre and states, the Supreme Court takes
the final decision.
 CH-2: FEDERALISM Q&A
CLASS-X

12. How is federalism practiced in India? Explain with examples. OR How has federalism been
strengthened in India?
a) Creation of Linguistic States: In 1947, the boundaries of several old States of India were changed in order
to create new States so 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, eg. Nagaland, Uttrakhand
and Jharkhand. The formation of linguistic states has actually made the country more united. It has made
administration easier.
b) Language policy: Our constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. 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. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other
languages recognized by our Constitution.
c) Restructuring Centre-State relation: Another way to strengthen our federation was to restructure the
Centre-State relations. For a long time, the same party ruled at the centre as well as in most of the states.
After 1990, a number of regional parties came up in many states as well as in the centre. This was also an
era of coalition governments at the centre. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the
autonomy of state governments.

13. Examine the controversy over Hindi and English as the official language.
a) The controversy over Hindi and English language started when, 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.
b) In Tamil Nadu, this movement took a violent form. The Central Government agreed to continue the use of
English along with Hindi for official purposes. Many critics think that this solution favoured the English
speaking elite.
c) 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.

14. Explain the significance of the decentralization of power.

a) The basic idea behind decentralisation is that 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. They also have
better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently.
b) 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.
c) Local government is the best way to realise the important principle of democracy, ie. local self-
government.

15. Describe the provisions of amendment made in the Indian Constitution in 1992 for making the three-tier
government more effective and powerful. OR
What steps were taken in 1992 to make decentralization (Panchayati Raj system) more effective in
India. OR Discuss the changes that took place in the working of the local government after the
constitutional amendment in 1992.

A major step towards decentralisation was taken in 1992. The Constitution was amended to make the
third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
a) Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
b) Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
c) At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
d) An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each State to
conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
e) The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies. The
nature of sharing varies from State to State.

16. What is the Gram Sabha? What are its functions?

The Gram Sabha consists of all adult citizen voters of the village.
a) It elects members of the Gram Panchayats.
b) The Gram Sabha supervises the work of the Gram Panchayat.
c) It approves the annual budget of the Gram Panchayat and reviews its performance.

17. “All states in Indian Union do not have identical powers.” Explain the statement with relevant
examples. OR Examine the ‘Holding Together’ nature of Indian federation.
Indian federation is formed by ‘holding together’ nature of federalism. It does not give equal powers to its
constituent units.
a) Special Status to States: Some states enjoy special status as compared to the others e.g. Prior to 2019
Jammu and Kashmir had its own constitution. Many provisions of the Indian constitution were not
applicable to this state without the approval of the state assembly. People who were non residents could
not buy land or house there.
b) Centre Administers Union Territories: Union territories like Lakshadweep and Chandigarh do not have the
powers of a state. The central government has special powers in administering them.
c) North-Eastern States: The north eastern states have been given special status in order to protect and
preserve their customs, traditions, cultural and linguistic diversity.

A/N- MUNCIPALTIES AND GS NOT EXP PROPERLY,USE

"M.P." NOTES FOR THE SAME
-TBL