INDIAN FEDERAL STRUCTURE: EMERGING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
By Arun Arangil
(Student, LL.M. (Corporate Laws), Chandigarh University)
| Abstract In India, federalism is described as the division of authority between local, national, and state administrations. Under one system, a hybrid of two governments – state and central – will exist. Without two distinct levels of administration (central and state/regional), a federation cannot function. Legal supremacy of the Constitution is vital for the federal system to endure in a federal state. Under federalism, the judiciary’s independence is crucial. Federalism offers a different electoral system that enables the Federal and State administrations to administer elections successfully. Federalism is vital in a country like India, where people of many backgrounds and traditions live in harmony. Its core objectives are unity in diversity, authority devolution, and administrative decentralization. Since the Indian model of federalism combines significant characteristics of both federation and union, it is referred to as a quasi-federal system. It is a compromise between two opposed considerations: state autonomy within a constitutionally prescribed limit (State List) and a robust central authority requirement. Uneven revenue distribution and resource restrictions on the periphery result in national imbalances. India is a textbook example of religious heterogeneity, which occasionally results in turmoil and erodes the federation’s strength. Inequality results in a need for economic planning and development, regional economic equality, and state financial autonomy. Maintaining the concept of cooperative /collaborative federalism is crucial for India’s future development. If the federal and state governments become entangled in a conflict, the public will ultimately lose. No strategy or program can be implemented effectively unless both governments collaborate. |
| Keywords Federalism, Centre-State Relations, Quasi-Federal System, Supremacy of Constitution, Judicial Independence, Administrative Decentralization, Cooperative Federalism. |
| Type | Research Paper |
| Information | Lex Humanitariae: Journal for a Change, Volume III Issue I, Pages 285-295 |
| DOI Link | https://doi-ds.org/doilink/04.2022-47252182/lexhumanitariae/V3I1/A34 |
| ISSN | 2582-5216 |
| Creative Commons | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |
| Copyright | © 2022- Lex Humanitariae: Journal for a Change |