suppose the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh chhattisgarh Orissa have different policieson how their state police should respond to naxalites can the prime Minister of India intervene and pass an order that all the Chief Minister will have to obey
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Answer:
Though only 25 of the world’s 192 countries have federal political system, their citizens make up 40 per cent of the world’s population. Most of the large countries of the world are federations. Can you notice an exception to this rule in this map?
Yes, China, which is the most populous country of the world does not practice the federal system of sharing of power. Instead, it enjoys unitary political system.
Intext Question
Textbook Page No. 15
Q.3 If federalism works only in big countries, why did Belgium adopt it?
Because even though it is a small country, it has diverse population made up of multilingual groups. These linguistic groups have their own intersects which might lead to social conflict. So, to avoid and possible social conflict and political instability, Belgium adopted federal system of power sharing.
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Textbook Page. No. 16
Q.4 Some Nepalese citizens were discussing the proposals on the 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.
Babu Lal : I am hopeful that Teria 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.
If you were participating in this conversation 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?
(i) Response to Khag Raj : No, you are not true. What different caste groups are being given are their rights, which they have been kept deprived of for years. Federalism truly serves the purpose when it believes in matual trust. This is the spirit of democracy.
Response to Sarita : No Sarita, Nepal is also a diverse country consisting of group of people having different interests. Take the example of Belgium. Though it was a small country, there spread social conflict. This could only be resolved by making a federation. So, we also need a federal system that takes care of its people equally.
Response to Babu Lal : Yes I agree but do not think only about the Terai area. There are other areas as well which need more autonomy. So, the only way is to form a federal system so that each region gets its own share and can live together with mutual trust and contribute to the development of the nation equally.
Response to Ram Ganesh : Yes, I agree. When power is concentrated in one hand, it harms the will of the common people. In a democracy, people rule themselves thorugh institution of self- governance. The decentralization of power will ensure due respect to diverse groups and views that exist in the society, and everyone will have a voice in the shaping of public policy.
(ii) Of these, Khag Raj and Sarita have a wrong understanding of what federalism is.
(iii) In India there are three levels of government – The central, state and local governments. These have their own jurisdictions. There is a Constitution which declares their powers and duties. There is an apex court under an independent judiciary, which can resolve disputes among them. All the state governments have their own sources of income. Income is also shared with the central government. All these features make India a federal country.
Intext Question
Textbook Page No. 16
Q.5 Isn’t that strange? Did our Constitution makers not known about federalism? Or did they wish to avoid talking about it?
It is not strange. Our Constitution makers where aware of the concenpt of deralism. But, intentionally, they did not talk about it. This was because our democracy was passing through a nascent stage where they had to take steps to consolidate different free princely states. If they had been given more autonomy, we might have faced many divisions of our country. They supposed that with maturity of democracy, proper changes will be brought in the Constitution to make the nation more federal. So they left this issue to the people and future leaders to decide about.
Intext Questions
Textbook Page No. 17
Q.6 If agriculture and commerce are state subjects, why do we have ministers of agriculture and commerce in the Union cabinet?
This is because the states have to deal with each other in commercial and agricultural commodities. There comes chances when a state will act arbitrarily. In that condition, problems will arise regarding prince control, tax getc. Also the country has to deal with other nations in these subjects. So, a separate ministry for agriculture and commerce is necessary in the Union cabinet.
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Textbook Page No. 17