PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Indian Federalism
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.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
rR) Art. 263 mandate (inquire → discuss → recommend) → yet no maturation since its 1990 birth under Sarkaria R2 meant to be the principal federal forum — has not grown into one
Body flow
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
Counter-view
not beyond repair → Punchhi Commission → statutory status, regular meetings, permanent secretariat
Conclusion routes
R1 reactivated on these lines → gives cooperative federalism real substance R2 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.
