DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL TAPIClass X Learning Partnership in Political science HW – 01

Answer key Q1. Write main features of Federalism?

A1. The following are the key features of Federalism-

There are 2 or more levels (or tiers) of government.

1.    Different tiers of government govern the same citizens but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration..

2.    The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of government.

3.    Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government. The highest court acts as an umpire if disputes arise between different levels of government in the exercise of supreme powers.

4.    Sources of revenue for each levels of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.

5.    The federal system thus has dual objectives to safeguard and promote unity of the country while at the same time accommodate regional diversity.

Q2. Bring out the contrast between Federal and unitary government?

A2. In this sense federation are contrasted with unitary governments

1.    Under unitary system either there is only one level of government or the subunits are subordinate to the central government.

2.    The central government can pass orders to the provinces or the local government. But in the federal system, the central government cannot order the state government to do something.

3State governments have powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to the people.

Q3. What are the power sharing arrangements in India?

A.3 1.   Written and rigid constitution: India has the lengthiest constitution in the world. Originally it had 397 articles and it has 22 parts and 12 schedules.

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Rigid –The centre and the state should together agree to change the main provisions of the constitution.

2.    Constitutional division of power through 3 list and residuary powers –

Union list - Includes subjects of national importance such as defense of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communication and currency. The union government alone can make laws relating to their subjects.

State list – Contains subjects of state and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation. The government makes Law.

Concurrent list – Includes common subjects like education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession. Both can make laws but in case of conflict the law made by union government will prevail.

Residuary powers –the powers that are not included in any of the 3 lists. According to the constitution union government has power regarding this. E.g.- computers

Holding together federation but special status to some states like J&K.

Union territories – These are areas which are too small to become an independent state but which could not be merged with any of the existing states, e.g Chandigarh, Lakshadweep etc. The central government has special powers in running these areas.

5.    The parliament cannot on its own change the constitution. If required change it has to be first passed by both the houses of parliament with at least two-thirds majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislature of at least half of the total states.

6.    Judiciary –In case of any dispute about division of powers the High court and the Supreme Court make a decision.

7.    Financial power to levy taxes – Both the government have the power to raise resources by levying taxes in order to carry on the government and responsibilities assigned to each of them.

Q4.Flexible language policy of government of India and Indian constitution has minimized conflicts among states and centre in India. Justify.

A4.

Our constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages.

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Besides Hindi there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled languages by the constitution.]States too have their own official languages. Much of the government work takes place in the official language of the concerned states.

English can be used along with Hindi for official purposes. Promotion of Hindi continues to be the official policy of the Government of India.

Q5. Why were the linguistic states created? What are their advantages?A5. The Linguistic states were created to ensure that the people who spoke the same language lived in the same state.

1. It has made the country more united and stronger.

2. It has also made administration easier.

Q.6 State any two differences between the local government before and after the constitutional amendment in 1992.

A6

Local governments Before 1992

Local governments After 1992

Elections were controlled by the state and not held regularly.

An independent State Election Commission is responsible to conduct elections regularly.

Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own.

The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.

Q7. State any difference between the local government before and after 73rd Amendment Act 1992.

A7. A major step towards decentralization was taken in 1992.The constitution was amended to make the third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective.

1. Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.

2. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

3. At least 50% of all positions are reserved for women.

4. An independent institution called the state election commission has been created in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.

5. The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local governments bodies.

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Q 8. Point out one feature in the practice of federalism in India that is similar to and one feature that is different from that of Belgium.

A.8 In India, just like in Belgium, the central government has to share its powers with the regional governments. However, unlike India, Belgium has a community government in addition to the central and the state government.

Q9. Examine the significance of decentralization. /Why do we need local government?

A9.

The basic idea behind decentralization is that they’re a large number of problems and issues, which are best, settled at the local level.

People have better knowledge of problems in their localities.spend money and how to manage things more efficiently.

At the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in decision-making.This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation

Q10. What is gram sabha?

A10. It is the village parliament (legislature). The panchayat is under overall supervision of the gram sabha. All the voters in the village are its member .it has to meet at least twice or thrice n a year to approve the annual budget of the gram panchayat and to review the performance of the gram panchayat.

Q11. How are local bodies organized in urban areas?A11. Local government bodies exist for urban areas as well

Municipalities are set up towns Big cities are constituted into Municipal Corporation. Elected bodies consisting of people’s representatives control both municipalities and

municipal corporations. Municipal chairperson is the political head of the Municipality.

In a municipal corporation such as officer is called the mayor.

CW-KEY

Q1. Define

a.    Federalism - Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between central authority and various constituent units of the country.

b.    Jurisdiction - The area over which someone has legal authority. The area may be defined in terms of geographical boundaries or in terms of certain kind of subjects.

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C Coalition Government – A government formed by the coming together of at least two political parties. Usually partners in a political alliance and adopt a common program.

Q2. What are the dual objectives of the Federal system? What are their importance?A2.

1.  The federal system has dual objectives: to safeguard and promote unity of the country while at the same time accommodates regional diversity. Therefore, two aspects are crucial for the institutions and practice of federalism.

2.    Governments at different levels should agree to some rules of power sharing. They should also trust that each would abide by its part of the agreement.

3.    An ideal federal system has both aspects: mutual trust and agreement to live together.

Q3. Explain the 2 kinds of routes (or basis) through which federations have been formed, with examples.

A3. There are 2 kinds of routes through which federations have been formed.

A.   Coming together federation –

1.    The first route involves independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity they can increase security

2.    This type coming together federation includes the USA, Switzerland, and Australia. In this type of federation all the constituent states usually have equal power and are strong vis-à-vis the federal government.

B.   Holding together federation

1.    The second route is when a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent sates and the national government. India, Spain and Belgium are examples of this kind holding together federation.

2.    In this type the central government tends to be more power vis-à-vis the states.

3.Very often different constituent units of this federation have unequal powers.

4.    Some units are granted special powers.

Q4. How does J&K enjoy a special status in India?

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A4. All states in the Indian union do not have identical powers. Some states enjoy a special status.

1.    Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution.

2.    Many provisions of the Indian constitution are not applicable to this state without the approval of the state assembly

3.    Indians who are not permanent residents of this state cannot buy land or houses here.

Q 5.How is federalism practiced in our country?

A5 Constitutional provisions are not the only key to the success of federalism in India but we have succeeded in this experiment because of the nature of democratic politics in our country.

Respect for diversity and desire for living together became a shared ideal in our country.

Q6 How we ensured federalism in linguistic states?

It was the first & major step towards the democratic politics in our country.

Since 1947, the boundaries of several states were changed in order to create new states. This was done to ensure that people who spoke same language lived in the same state.

Some states were created to recognize differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography. These included states like—Nagaland, Jharkhand & Uttarakhand.

Q7. How has federal power sharing become more effective in India after 1990(or Today)?A7.

Things changed significantly after 1990. This period saw the rise of regional political parties in many states of the country.

This was also the beginning of the era of coalition governments at the centre. Since no single party got a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national

parties had to enter into an alliance with many parties including several regional parties to form a government at the centre. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of state government.

This trend was supported by a major judgment of the Supreme Court that made it difficult for the central government to dismiss state governments in an arbitrary manner.

Thus, federal power sharing is more effective today then it was in the early years after the constitution came into force.

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Q8. What is meant by decentralization of Power?

A8. When the power is taken away from central and state government and given to local government, it is called Decentralization.

Q9. Briefly explain the levels of rural local government in India.

A9. Rural local government is popularly known by the name of Panchayati Raj

A.   VILLAGE LEVEL

Each village or a group of villagers in some states has a gram panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward members, often called panch and a president or sarpanch. All the adult population living in that ward or village directly elects them.

The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the gram sabha. All the voters in the village are its members. It has to meet at least twice or thrice in a year to approve the annual budget of the gram panchayat and to review the performance of the gram panchayat.

B.   BLOCK LEVEL

A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form what is usually called a panchayat samiti ,block or mandal. All the panchayat members in that area elect the members of this representative body.

C.   DISTRICT LEVEL

All the panchayat samitis or mandals in a district together constitute the Zila (district) parishad. Most members of the Zila parishad are elected. Members of the Lok Sabha and MLA’s of that district and some other officials of other district level bodies are also its members. Zila parishad chairperson is the political head of the Zila parishad.

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