Federalism & Decentralization
Essay Category: 1.2 | Last updated: 2026-07-20
PYQs Asked
- Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. -2017
- Water disputes between States in federal India. -2016
- Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality. -2016
- Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication. -2011
- Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. -2007
- Water resources should be under the control of the central government. -2004
- The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. -1998
Content Bank
Key Arguments & Ideas
(Core conceptual frameworks, thesis-antithesis points, philosophical anchors)
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Facts & Data
(Statistics, schemes, policy details, reports — use as evidence in essay body)
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Contemporary Examples
(Current affairs added over time — recent real-world instances for this theme)
- Delimitation — when a promise is not written into the text (2026): The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 — 298 of 528 voting in favour, short of two-thirds. The reason is the essay-worthy part: the government assured Parliament orally that no State's proportional share would fall and each would gain 50% more seats — but the Bill removed the Census references in Articles 81 and 82 that actually guarantee it. In constitutional amendment, assurances are not enforceable; text is. Behind it lies the genuine dilemma: "one person, one vote, one value" demands seats track population, while federal fairness demands that States which successfully implemented family planning are not punished with reduced national influence — a freeze first imposed in 1976 and extended in 2001, expiring in 2026. Note also that a federal dispute is now delaying a gender-justice measure, since women's reservation was tied to delimitation. (The Hindu, 20-07-2026)
- The third tier's empty purse (2026): A Union Minister sought an inquiry into alleged diversion of 15th Finance Commission grants in Telangana — ₹2,293.74 crore released, allegedly spent on staff salaries, electricity bills and routine maintenance rather than development, with sarpanches reportedly pressured to do so. Read structurally rather than politically, it is the clearest illustration of the "3 Fs" problem: the 73rd/74th Amendments devolved functions without funds and functionaries. Local bodies raise barely 1% of India's total government revenue (against ~35% in Brazil and China), and Own Source Revenue is typically under 5% of panchayat receipts — so when the FC's untied grant is the only flexible cash available, and salaries still must be paid, diversion becomes structurally predictable. The deeper point for a decentralisation essay: an elected sarpanch treated as an agent of the State administration is not local self-government. (The Hindu, 20-07-2026)
- J&K statehood restoration demand (2026): After J&K was downgraded from a State to two UTs and Art. 370 abrogated (2019), the elected NC government is protesting for statehood restoration (SC had directed it "at the earliest"). A live test of the federal principle that statehood should not be a reversible, Centre-controlled lever, and of elected self-rule vs. L-G/Centre control. Use for "creation/alteration of states and their implications" (-2011) and cooperative-federalism essays. (Indian Express, 04-06-2026)
Historical Examples
(From class notes, NCERT, ancient/medieval/modern history relevant to this theme)
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Useful Quotes
(Opening lines, closing lines, in-body quotes relevant to this theme)
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Essay Angles & Structure Tips
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