How is Federalism practiced in India?
How is Federalism practiced in India?
Answer:
Federalism is a form of government in which authorities, like states or regions, are split between the centre and its constituent parts. The institutional framework is structured to accommodate two sets of policies, one at the national or central level and the other at the regional or provincial level.
The real success of federalism in India is attributed to its nature of democratic politics. Have a look at some major ways in which federalism is practised in India.
- Linguistic States
The creation of linguistic States was the first and a major test for democratic politics in India. After independence, in 1947, the boundaries of several old states were changed in order to create new states. This was done to ensure that the people who spoke the same language, share common culture, ethnicity or geography could live in the same state. Example: Nagaland, Jharkhand etc.
- Language Policy
A second test for Indian federation is the language policy. Hindi was identified as the official language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States to have their own official languages and government work takes place in the official language of the concerned State.
- Centre-State relations
Restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. If no single party gets a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national parties can 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 Governments.
Answer:
Federalism is a form of government in which authorities, like states or regions, are split between the centre and its constituent parts. The institutional framework is structured to accommodate two sets of policies, one at the national or central level and the other at the regional or provincial level.
The real success of federalism in India is attributed to its nature of democratic politics. Have a look at some major ways in which federalism is practised in India.
- Linguistic States
The creation of linguistic States was the first and a major test for democratic politics in India. After independence, in 1947, the boundaries of several old states were changed in order to create new states. This was done to ensure that the people who spoke the same language, share common culture, ethnicity or geography could live in the same state. Example: Nagaland, Jharkhand etc.
- Language Policy
A second test for Indian federation is the language policy. Hindi was identified as the official language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States to have their own official languages and government work takes place in the official language of the concerned State.
- Centre-State relations
Restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. If no single party gets a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national parties can 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 Governments.
