PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Indian Federalism
Indian federation has moved from cooperative federation to competitive federation
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 claim only partly true → cooperation supplemented, not replaced R2 Austin's cooperative base intact → competition added as a new layer
Body flow
Austin: cooperative Centre-State partnership (Finance Commission, ISC, GST Council) → 1991 reforms + NITI Aayog replaces Planning Commission → Kincaid: rivalry for investment → instruments (NITI indices, Ease of Doing Business, Aspirational Districts, Smart Cities) → Panagariya: spur to governance
Counter-view
Rao: competition widens the richer-poorer State gap
Conclusion routes
R1 shift is of degree, not replacement → Watts: systems move between both modes R2 India's real direction is competitive-cooperative federalism
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
