Question

describe the main features of the centre state relations in federations of India

Answer 1

n the context of Centre-State relations, an assessment of the federal structure of government in the Constitution is essential. In fact a federal structure is a design of government in which there is division of power on territorial basis between the Centre and States. This limits the concentration of power and authority in the hands of only one government as the country’s powers get divided between the Centre and States. Thus both are limited governments.

Answer 2

The Constitution provides a federal system of government in the country even though it describes India as ‘a Union of States’. The term implies that firstly, the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement between independent units, and secondly, the units of Indian federation cannot leave the federation. The Indian Constitution contains both federal and non- federal features.

Federal Features


The federal features of the Constitution include:

(1) A written constitution which defines the structure, organization and powers of the central as well as state governments
(2) A rigid constitution which can be amended only with the consent of the states
(3) An independent judiciary which acts as the guardian of the constitution.
(4) A clear division of powers between the Center and the States through three lists- Union list, State list and Concurrent list
(5) The creation of an Upper House (Rajya Sabha) which gives representation to the states, etc.