General Studies Question With Answer Set-15

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General Studies Question With Answer Set-15

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Question. How far do you think cooperation, competition and confrontation have shaped the nature of federation in India? Cite some recent examples to validate your answer (Answer in 150 words)

Ans. India opted for a quasi-federal structure after independence. The term “federal” has not been mentioned in the constitution but the working of Indian democracy is essentially federal in structure. However, it is the practical working style of federalism, which brought the concept of cooperative federalism and competitive federalism in India. But the confrontation is always a regular feature of India polity on different issues. The rise of regional parties, the formation of coalition governments, active role of the judiciary, the continuous ideological shift of political leadership have shaped the trajectory of federalism by swinging the pendulum from cooperative to confrontationist and vice-versa.

Area of Competition among States

Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) The 115 slow progressing districts in terms of socio-economic outcomes are kept in focus before instituting a programme with convergence, collaboration and competition as the core tenets. States are the main drivers behind this programme, working with central government officers to detect “low-hanging fruit” opportunities for immediate improvement.
Bank’s Ease of Doing Business India’s improvement in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Index was possible because the states have led the institution of many reforms. This was made possible through the creation of an EoDB Index for Indian States and the release of annual rankings to indicate areas in which they are lagging. This sense of competition prompted corrective action and made India a much easier place to do business.

Cooperative Federalism

The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 created linguistic states, fulfilled a demand that was being made vociferously and was a victory of popular will. These were set up under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 with the objective to develop the habit of cooperative working.
Issues of global nature like climate change do not recognise state frontiers. Pollution and conservation issues are addressed with cooperation of States and Centre.
Terrorism, militancy, organised crimes, problem of internally displaced persons, refugees are handled in the country as a whole, with the combined efforts of Centre and States.
The flexible nature of Indian federalism was useful in COVID crisis. Several Indian states announced lockdowns and sealed their borders even before the Central government took any decision. The Centre took an unprecedented decision on its own to announce a nation-wide complete lockdown within a few hours’ notice. There was no prior consultation with states before the lockdown was imposed on 25th March. It caused serious supply chain breakdowns and importantly migrant workers chaos. This has been somewhat handled with the cooperation of the Centre and States efficiently.

Confrontation between Centre and States

GST Compensation Issue It has been a leading factor which has left the States in despair. Under GST, the tax revenue collected is legitimately entitled to the state governments. But the States are now dependent on the Centre to release these funds to them. In 2017, when GST was authorised and implemented, States were also guaranteed a minimum tax revenue every year for a period of five years. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis both these promises have been snapped.
New Farm Laws The recent farm bills have provoked anger in many states that the Centre has waded into an area that is constitutionally reserved for the states.
Resolutions against Implementing the CAA The CAA has been passed by Parliament on the subject of citizenship, which is part of the Union List. Many state governments have passed a resolution against the CAA in the respective states.

Thus, instituting a system of cooperative and competitive federalism has been a hallmark of India’s policy-making in the past few years and has achieved considerable results. Cooperative and competitive federalism are complementary ideas that will drive India’s growth story in the coming decades. However the confrontation between Centre and states is not good for the country. There is a strong need for better coordination between the Centre and states. A strong sense of nationhood is necessary to maintain our territorial integrity and internal security, and this cannot be accomplished without cooperative federalism.