Federalism Definition

Federalism refers to a governance system where power is divided between a central authority and political units. However, India’s federal system is unique and differs from the one practiced in the United States.

In India’s federalism, there’s a relationship between the Central government and State governments. It consists of two tiers of government, each with its powers and judiciary system. However, the Central judiciary is overseen by the Supreme Court of India.

Because of the distinctiveness of India’s federal system, several issues and challenges arise concerning its structure. Let’s delve into each problem faced by India due to its quasi-federal structure.

Challenges Pertaining to Federal Structure: The Indian system of Federalism is a bit unique. It is called a quasi-federal system because it has features of both a federation and a union. According to Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, “India, which is also called Bharat, will be a Union of States.” Federalism in India didn’t happen by states joined together to form a federal union. Instead, it changed from a unitary system to a federal one.

There are two governments in India’s federal system: the State Government and the Central Government. There’s also an independent judiciary system. However, because of its quasi-federal nature, India faces many issues and challenges related to its federal structure.

Let us learn more about the challenges of federal structure!