Animated Diagrams — Federalism

🏛️ Three Tiers of Indian Federalism

Click any tier to see what it does. India has 3 levels of government — each with clearly defined powers under the Constitution.

UNION GOVERNMENT

National level · Parliament & PM

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STATE GOVERNMENTS

28 States & 8 UTs · CMs & Legislative Assemblies

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LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Panchayats (rural) + Municipalities (urban)

💡 Key Idea: Each tier has its own elected legislature, its own jurisdiction (subjects to legislate on), and its own revenue sources. They are NOT in a hierarchy — each is supreme in its own sphere.

📋 Division of Powers — 7th Schedule

The Constitution divides subjects into 3 lists. Click each card to explore.

UNION LIST

97 subjects · Centre alone

Subjects of national importance — for uniform policy across India.

DefenceForeign AffairsBankingCurrencyAtomic EnergyRailwaysCommunication

STATE LIST

66 subjects · States alone

Subjects of state and local importance — states have full autonomy.

PoliceTradeCommerceAgricultureIrrigationPublic Health

CONCURRENT LIST

47 subjects · Both can legislate

Common interest — but if Centre & State conflict, Central law prevails.

EducationForestsTrade UnionsMarriageAdoptionSuccession

RESIDUARY

Not in any list · Centre only

Subjects not mentioned in any list — power goes to Union.

Computer SoftwareE-commerceCyber Laws

⚖️ India vs USA: In USA, residuary powers go to STATES (states are stronger). In India, residuary powers go to the UNION — making India a Centre-leaning federation (quasi-federal).

🤝 Coming Together vs Holding Together

Federations are formed in two ways based on history and circumstances.

Feature	Coming Together	Holding Together
How formed	Independent states unite	Large country divides power
Power of Centre	Weaker — states keep autonomy	Stronger — Centre dominates
Equality of states	All states usually EQUAL	States may be UNEQUAL
Examples	USA, Switzerland, Australia	India, Spain, Belgium
Direction	Bottom-up	Top-down

🇮🇳 India's case: India is a "Holding Together" federation. After independence, the country chose to share power between Centre and States. Some states like J&K (until 2019) and Nagaland have/had special provisions — showing states are NOT equal.

📌 Why "Quasi-Federal"? India has unitary features mixed with federal:

Single Constitution for whole country
Single citizenship (no state citizenship)
Centre can change state boundaries
Governor appointed by President (not elected)
Article 356: President's Rule on states
Residuary powers with Centre

📜 Centre-State Relations — Evolution Over Time

1950 2020s 1950s

1950s — Building the Nation Early years of Indian federalism. Constitution adopted in 1950. Strong Congress at Centre and most states. Linguistic states formation began. Power shared but Centre dominant due to single party rule.

1956

States Reorganisation Act

States redrawn on linguistic basis. Initially feared to cause disintegration, but actually strengthened Indian unity by giving people governance in their mother tongue.

1950s–1980s

Era of Congress Dominance

Same party (Congress) ruled at Centre and in most states. Centre often imposed its will. Article 356 (President's Rule) was misused several times to dismiss state governments.

1989

Beginning of Coalition Era

No single party got majority at Centre. Regional parties became powerful kingmakers. Centre had to consult and respect states more — federalism strengthened in practice.

1992

73rd & 74th Amendments

Created 3rd tier — Local Self-Government became a constitutional requirement. Panchayats (rural) and Municipalities (urban) given constitutional status with mandatory elections.

1994

SR Bommai Case

Supreme Court restricted misuse of Article 356. President's Rule cannot be imposed arbitrarily — must be justified and is subject to judicial review. Major win for federalism.

🏘️ Decentralisation — Panchayati Raj Structure

After 73rd Amendment (1992), every state must have a 3-tier Panchayati Raj system in rural areas.

ZILLA PARISHAD

District-level body · Coordinates Block Panchayats

BLOCK / MANDAL PANCHAYAT

Group of villages · Intermediate level

GRAM PANCHAYAT

Village level · Headed by Sarpanch · Gram Sabha = all voters

Provision	73rd Amendment (Rural)	74th Amendment (Urban)
Bodies created	Panchayats	Municipalities
Reservation (women)	1/3 seats	1/3 seats
SC/ST reservation	Proportional to population	Proportional to population
Elections every	5 years (mandatory)	5 years (mandatory)
Conducted by	State Election Commission	State Election Commission
Funds	State Finance Commission	State Finance Commission

🌟 Why Decentralisation? Local people know local problems best. Direct participation deepens democracy. Faster decision-making. Reduces burden on Centre & States. Makes "government of the people, by the people, for the people" a reality at the grassroots.

📌 Gram Sabha: All adult citizens of a village registered as voters form the Gram Sabha. It supervises the Gram Panchayat, approves its budget, and reviews its work. This is direct democracy at its finest.