Despite constitutional mandate the Inter-State Council has not come of age. Discuss.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 Art. 263 mandate (inquire → discuss → recommend) → yet no maturation since its 1990 birth under Sarkaria
Route 2 meant to be the principal federal forum → has not grown into one
root cause is design → exists only by Presidential Order → executive can alter its structure → recommendations bind no one → politics widens the gap → Congress dominance (party channels settle disputes) → coalitions (regional parties bargain directly within Union) → sectoral bodies (GST Council, NITI Aayog) absorb its core work → secretariat under Home Ministry → no autonomy or expertise → meetings rare (2006–2016 gap) → Rekha Saxena → poor record, almost no amendment or enactment
not beyond repair → Punchhi Commission → statutory status, regular meetings, permanent secretariat
Route 1 reactivated on these lines → gives cooperative federalism real substance
Route 2 the constitutional mandate is intact → only political will and a structural fix are missing
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Federalism — 11 questions in the Vault.
- The recent developments in Indian Politics has not eroded the true spirit of federalism in India. Critically examine this statement with the help of appropriate examples.
- Does the actual working of Indian federalism conform to the centralizing tendencies in Indian polity? Give reasons for your answer.
- Discuss the composition and functions of the Inter-State Council. To what extent has this body been successful in achieving its objectives?
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.