Hello aspirants,
Today’s revision capsule of PSIR optional preparation covers Federalism. PYQs are given in the grid itself. There are three 20-markers, four 15-markers, and six 10-markers from this topic in last 12 years.
1. FEDERALISM AS A DYNAMIC THEORY
| Key Ideas | Principal Scholars / Texts | |
| Foundational maxim | “Self-rule + shared-rule” | Daniel J. Elazar (classic definition) |
| Unity of polity, plurality of society | Co-existence of many identities in one Republic | Rasheeduddin Khan |
| Nation-building lens | Institutionalised multiculturalism; “grand design of living-together” | Granville Austin (“social revolution, unity & democracy” triad) |
| State-building lens | (i) Formation/reorganisation of States (homogeneity + viability) (ii) Non-central distribution of competences (iii) Shared-rule mechanisms (Inter-State Council, Finance Comm., GST Council etc.) | B. R. Ambedkar, Sarkaria Commission |
Colonial precursors: Government of India Act 1935, Simon Commission 1929, Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms 1918
Nationalist demand: “Purna Swaraj = maximum de-centralisation” — M. K. Gandhi
2. INDIA’S “PARLIAMENTARY-FEDERAL” HYBRID
| British-Parliamentary End | American-Federal End |
| Cabinet responsibility, parliamentary conventions, doctrine of sovereignty of Parliament | Written Constitution, judicial review, rigid amendment procedure, dual polity |
Terminology & characterisations
- K. C. Wheare – “Quasi-federal or a unitary state with subsidiary federal features.”
- Ian Copland – “Paramountcy federation.”
- Ivor Jennings – “Federation in normalcy, unitary in emergency.”
- K. Santhanam – “Cautious federalism.”
Ambedkar’s dictum (C.A.D. 1949): “The Constitution is federal in normal times but becomes unitary in emergencies.”
3. WHY USE THE TERM “UNION” (Art. 1)
- Indestructible Union; destructible States – States cannot secede.
- Reorganisation power – Art. 3 allows Parliament (with SRC 1955 guidance) to change boundaries.
- Unequal Rajya Sabha representation – proportional, not the U.S. model of equality.
- Single citizenship – fosters one civic-political nation.
- All-India Services (Art. 312) – common administrative spine, emphasising national interest.
4. DISTRIBUTION OF COMPETENCES (Fernández-Segado’s 5-part grid applied to India)
| Category (Spanish label) | Indian Illustration & List Entry | Comment |
| Integral | Defence, External Affairs, Currency (Union List) | Parliament + Union Exec alone |
| Exclusive but Limited | “Industries” — Entry 24 (Union) vs. Entry 5 (State) | Shared by slicing subject |
| Shared | Education, Forests, Marriage (Concurrent List) | Union prevails on conflict |
| Concurring | Environment (E.P. Act 1986 vs. State Pollution Boards) | Parallel facets, different emphases |
| Indistinct / Overlapping | Urban planning, Public health (CSS + State schemes) | Practical overlap despite formal lists |
Residuary powers – Entry 97: Parliament (Centre) holds them, though Sarkaria & Punchhi Commissions urge concurrent relocation.
5. ASYMMETRY & MULTI-LEVELISM
- Special articles 370, 371, 371A-H, 5th & 6th Schedules → J&K (pre-2019), Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal etc. (R. Thakur, H. Verstappen on “asymmetrical federalism”).
- District/Autonomous Councils in NE (Sixth Schedule) – V. V. Rao’s “sub-state federalism.”
- 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendments (PRIs & ULBs) – deepen “federalism from below” (George Mathew).
6. CENTRE–STATE FINANCIAL FEDERALISM
- K. M. Munshi – emphasised unified economic fabric.
- Finance Commission (Art. 280; from K.C. Neogy to latest 15th FC led by N. K. Singh) – vertical & horizontal devolution.
- GST Council (Art. 279A) – new shared-rule body; some hail as “cooperative fiscal federalism,” others (e.g., M. Govinda Rao) warn of central tilt.
7. INSTITUTIONS OF “SHARED RULE”
| Body | Constitutional / Statutory Basis | Key Thinkers / Reports |
| Inter-State Council | Art. 263, activated 1990 (V. P. Singh) | Sarkaria Commission |
| Zonal Councils | States Re-organisation Act 1956 | R. G. Shah |
| National Development Council | (executive resolution, 1952) | D. D. Basu: “economic cabinet” |
| GST Council | Art. 279A (101st Amend.) | Arvind Subramanian report |
8. WORKING PATTERN ACROSS THREE PHASES
| Phase | Party System | Federal Pattern (scholar tags) | Key Events |
| 1947-1967 | Congress dominance | Co-operative (C. S. Pandit) | Formation of linguistic states (SRC) |
| 1967-1989 | Fragmentation, rise of regional parties | Bargaining / Confrontational (R. Kothari, Rajamannar Comm.) | Frequent Art. 356, Emergency (1975-77) |
| 1990s-Now | Coalition / Multi-party | Co-operative–Competitive (M. P. Singh) | S.R. Bommai (1994), GST, NITI Aayog |
9. STATE-AUTONOMY MOVEMENTS
| Region / Party | Core Grievance | Scholar Observations |
| Punjab – Akali Dal | Excessive central control, River-water dispute | Paul Wallace |
| Tamil Nadu – DMK/AIADMK | Language, fiscal share, Rajamannar Committee (1969) | E. Sambararan |
| West Bengal – Left Front | Land reform autonomy, Centre’s plan-transfer bias | Partha Chatterjee |
| Kashmir (pre-2019) | Article 370 erosion | A. G. Noorani |
Roots identified by Yogendra Yadav’s “second democratic upsurge” & Bidyut Chakraborty’s “coalition by calculation.”
10. COALITION POLITICS & THE FEDERAL AXIS
- J. P. Narayan – coalition is “both inevitable and desirable” in plural societies.
- T. T. Krishnamachari – federalism is “ever-changing.”
- B. Chakraborty – Indian coalitions still “in search of design.”
- Structuralist view (M. P. Singh) – PM as “manager of CMs.”
- Decline of Article 356 misuse post-S.R. Bommai; judicial review entrenched.
11. MODERN TRENDS & REFORMS
| Reform / Report | Substance |
| Sarkaria Commission (1983-87) | 247 recs. → ISC, restraint on 356, fiscal devolution norms |
| Punchhi Commission (2007-10) | Continuation; fixed governor tenure, local emergency limits |
| Competitive Federalism | “Ease-of-Doing-Business” state rankings → NITI Aayog |
| COVID-19 experience | Re-tested fiscal autonomy; calls for GST compensation redesign |
12. Key points
- Hybrid Heritage – British parliamentary plus U.S. federal bones (Coupland, Wheare).
- Union Bias but Federal Spirit – Ambedkar’s dual-mode logic.
- Dynamic, not Static – T. T. Krishnamachari: concept keeps evolving.
- Lists ≠ Practice – Segado’s competences show overlaps.
- Asymmetry as Design – Articles 370-371 etc. accommodate diversity (Khan).
- From Cooperative → Bargaining → Competitive – party system drives pattern (Kothari, Austin, Singh).
- Judicial Guardrails – Bommai, Kesavananda, Minerva Mills secure core features.
- Coalition Era – Regional parties now co-govern the Union; autonomy claims voiced inside cabinet, not on street.
- Fiscal Federalism in Flux – GST unifies tax base, yet compensation rows deepen.
- The Balancing Act – Too much centralism threatens democracy; too much fragmentation threatens unity (Granville Austin’s tripod).
Indian federalism is process, not plateau—an ever-negotiated contract of self-rule with shared-rule, steered by a kaleidoscope of actors: Parliament, States, Panchayats, parties, courts, commissions and, above all, the people. It remains, in Ambedkar’s prescient words, “a flexible federation with a strong pivot,” resilient enough to absorb the tremors of diversity yet elastic enough to let each region breathe.
Scholars Index
- R. Ambedkar | Granville Austin | D. D. Basu | S. R. Bommai | Bidyut Chakraborty | Partha Chatterjee | Lord Chelmsford | Ian Copland | Reginald Coupland | Daniel J. Elazar | Miguel Fernández-Segado | M. K. Gandhi | Ivor Jennings | Rasheeduddin Khan | Rajni Kothari | T. T. Krishnamachari | George Mathew | Edwin Montagu | K. M. Munshi | J. P. Narayan | K. C. Neogy | A. G. Noorani | C. S. Pandit | M. M. Punchhi | P. V. Rajamannar | M. Govinda Rao | V. V. Rao | K. Santhanam | R. S. Sarkaria | E. Sambararan | R. G. Shah | John Simon | M. P. Singh | N. K. Singh | V. P. Singh | Arvind Subramanian | R. Thakur | H. Verstappen | Paul Wallace | K. C. Wheare | Yogendra Yadav
Practice Questions
Question 1. Discuss mechanism for settling inter-state disputes. [2020/10 m]
Question 2. Discuss the composition and functions of the Inter-State Council. To what extent has this body been successful in achieving its objectives? [2022/15 m]
Question 3. Does the actual working of Indian federalism conform to the centralizing tendencies in Indian polity? Give reasons for your answer. [2023/20m]
📌 Model answers drop this evening on the Telegram channel: https://t.me/psirbyamitpratap – keep notifications on.
See you tomorrow on Day 23. Keep practicing!
—Amit Pratap Singh & Team
A quick note on submissions of copies and mentorship
- 2025 Mains writers: Cohort 1 of O-AWFG started on 12 June and ATS on 15 June. The above practice set will serve as your revision tool, just do not miss booking your mentorship sessions for personalised feedback especially for starting tests. Come with your evaluated test copies.
- 2026 Mains writers – keep uploading through your usual dashboard. Act on the feedback and improve consistently.
- Alternate between mini-tests (O-AWFG) and full mocks (ATS) has been designed to tackle speed, content depth, and structured revision—line-by-line evaluation pinpoints your weaknesses and errors. Follow your PSIR O-AWFG & ATS schedule and use the model answers to enrich your content, as rankers recommended based on their own success.
