Question 1: Locate the following States on a blank outline political map of India: Manipur, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Goa.
Answer-
Question 3: Point out one feature in the practice of federalism in India that is similar to and one feature that is different from that of Belgium.
Answer-
- Similar Feature: Both India and Belgium are examples of 'holding together' federations. Both nations have adopted the vertical division of power, ensuring that governments at different levels (Central/Union and State/Regional) agree to rules of power-sharing. Belgium also shifted from a unitary to a federal form of government in 1993.
- Different Feature: In Belgium, the regional governments were given constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government. In India, the Centre tends to be more powerful vis-à-vis the States. Also, unlike Belgium, which managed diversity through constitutional amendments, the Indian system has Union Territories which enjoy very little power compared to States.
Question 4: What is the main difference between a federal form of government and a unitary one? Explain with an example.
Answer-
The main difference lies in the division of power and accountability between the central authority and the sub-units.
- Federal Form of Government: Power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Both the central and state governments enjoy powers independent of the other, and both are separately answerable to the people.
- Example: In India, the Central Government cannot order the State Government to do something; State Government has powers of its own.
- Unitary Form of Government: Either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or local government.
- Example: Sri Lanka continues to be, for all practical purposes, a unitary system where the national government has all the powers.
Question 5: State any two differences between the local government before and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992.
Answer-
The Constitutional amendment in 1992 was a major step towards decentralisation, making the third tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
| Feature | Before 1992 Amendment | After 1992 Amendment |
|---|---|---|
| Elections | Elections to local governments were not held regularly. | It is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies. |
| Power/Resources | Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own and were directly under the control of state governments. | State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies (though the nature of sharing varies). |
| Reservations | There was no specific constitutional provision for reservation of seats. | Seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and at least one-third of all positions are reserved for women. |
| Independent Body | Elections were overseen by the state government. | An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct elections. |
Question 6: Fill in the blanks:
Since the United States is a ___________________ type of federation, all the constituent States have equal powers and States are ______________ vis-à-vis the federal government. But India is a _____________________ type of federation and some States have more power than others. In India, the ____________ government has more powers.
Answer-
Since the United States is a coming together type of federation, all the constituent States have equal powers and States are strong vis-à-vis the federal government. But India is a holding together type of federation and some States have more power than others. In India, the Central government has more powers.
Question 7: Here are three reactions to the language policy followed in India. Give an argument and an example to support any of these positions.
Sangeeta: The policy of accommodation has strengthened national unity.
Arman: Language-based States have divided us by making everyone conscious of their language.
Harish: This policy has only helped to consolidate the dominance of English over all other languages.
Answer-
We choose Sangeeta’s position: The policy of accommodation has strengthened national unity.
Argument and Example: India’s language policy is a second major test for the Indian federation. The policy of accommodation, unlike the situation in Sri Lanka, has strengthened unity because the leaders adopted a very cautious attitude in spreading Hindi. The Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language, and 22 languages are recognised as Scheduled Languages.
Example: The flexibility shown by the Central Government to continue the use of English along with Hindi for official purposes (responding to demands from non-Hindi speaking States like Tamil Nadu) helped the country avoid the kind of situation that Sri Lanka faced, thus making the country more united.
Question 8: The distinguishing feature of a federal government is: (a) National government gives some powers to the provincial governments. (b) Power is distributed among the legislature, executive and judiciary. (c) Elected officials exercise supreme power in the government. (d) Governmental power is divided between different levels of government.
Answer-
The distinguishing feature of a federal government is that the governmental power is divided between different levels of government (Central and State).
The correct option is (d) Governmental power is divided between different levels of government.
Question 9: A few subjects in various Lists of the Indian Constitution are given here. Group them under the Union, State and Concurrent Lists as provided in the table below.
A. Defence; B. Police; C. Agriculture; D. Education; E. Banking; F. Forests; G. Communications; H. Trade; I. Marriages
Union List State List Concurrent List
Answer-
| Union List | State List | Concurrent List |
|---|---|---|
| A. Defence | B. Police | D. Education |
| E. Banking | C. Agriculture | F. Forests |
| G. Communications | H. Trade (State list includes trade and commerce) | I. Marriages |
Question 10: Examine the following pairs that give the level of government in India and the powers of the government at that level to make laws on the subjects mentioned against each. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
(a) State government State List
(b) Central government Union List
(c) Central and State governments Concurrent List
(d) Local governments Residuary powers
Answer-
The Constitution specifies the legislative powers into Union, State, and Concurrent Lists. The Union Government has the power to legislate on 'residuary' subjects—those subjects that do not fall in any of the three lists. Local governments are the third tier of federalism (Panchayats and Municipalities).
The pair that is not correctly matched is (d) Local governments Residuary powers.
Question 11: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List I
1. Union of India
2. State
3. Municipal Corporation
4. Gram Panchayat
List II
A. Prime Minister
B. Sarpanch
C. Governor
D. Mayor
Answer-
| List I (Level of Government/Unit) | List II (Political Head) |
|---|---|
| 1. Union of India (Central Government) | A. Prime Minister |
| 2. State | C. Governor |
| 3. Municipal Corporation (Big cities) | D. Mayor |
| 4. Gram Panchayat (Village level) | B. Sarpanch (President or sarpanch) |
Question 12: Consider the following two statements.
A. In a federation, the powers of the federal and provincial governments are clearly demarcated.
B. India is a federation because the powers of the Union and State Governments are specified in the Constitution and they have exclusive jurisdiction on their respective subjects.
C. Sri Lanka is a federation because the country is divided into provinces.
D. India is no longer a federation because some powers of the States have been devolved to the local government bodies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer-
A. True. In a federation, the jurisdictions of the respective levels of government are specified in the constitution.
B. True. The Indian Union is based on the principles of federalism, and the Constitution clearly provided a three-fold distribution of legislative powers.
C. False. Sri Lanka is, for all practical purposes, a unitary system, even though it may have provinces.
D. False. The addition of the third tier (local government) through decentralisation strengthened the foundations of democracy and deepened federalism.
The correct statements are A and B.
The correct option is (c) A and B only.