Federalism Class 10 NCERT Solutions & Notes PDF 2026
Subject: Social Science (Democratic Politics - II) | Chapter: 2
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📝 Introduction to Federalism
Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and its constituent units (like states or provinces). Unlike a unitary system where the central government has all the power, a federal system guarantees the autonomy of state governments. India is a holding-together federation where power is shared among the Central Government, State Governments, and Local Governments (Panchayats and Municipalities).
The Constitution of India clearly divides legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments through three lists: The Union List (subjects of national importance like defence), the State List (subjects of state importance like police and agriculture), and the Concurrent List (subjects of common interest like education and marriage). The chapter also highlights the historic step taken in 1992 towards Decentralisation, which made the third tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
🔑 Key Concepts & Terminology
- Jurisdiction: The area over which someone has legal authority. The area may be defined in terms of geographical boundaries or in terms of certain kinds of subjects.
- Unitary System: A system of government where either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are strictly subordinate to the central government.
- Coming Together Federation: Independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit, retaining equal power (e.g., USA, Australia).
- Holding Together Federation: A large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government (e.g., India, Spain, Belgium).
- Decentralisation: When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local governments (Panchayats and Municipalities).
- Coalition Government: A government formed by the coming together of at least two political parties when no single party gets a clear majority.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: 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.
Ans:
Similarity: Both India and Belgium are "Holding Together Federations." In both countries, power is divided between the Central government and the State/Regional governments.
Difference: In Belgium, there is a unique third kind of government called the 'Community Government' based on language groups. In India, the third tier is the 'Local Government' (Panchayats and Municipalities) which is based on geographical decentralisation, not linguistic community.
Q2: What is the main difference between a federal form of government and a unitary one? Explain with an example.
Ans: In a Federal system, power is shared between a central authority and state governments. The central government cannot order the state government to do something; states have their own powers. Example: India or the USA.
In a Unitary system, there is only one level of government, or sub-units are strictly subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass orders to the local or provincial governments. Example: Sri Lanka or China.
Q3: State any two differences between the local government before and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992.
Ans:
Before 1992: 1) Elections to local bodies were not held regularly. 2) Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own.
After 1992: 1) It became constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies. 2) State governments are now required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.
⚡ Part 2: Top PYQs & Extra Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q4: What are "Residuary Subjects"? Who has the power to legislate on them?
Ans: Residuary subjects are those subjects which do not fall in any of the three lists (Union, State, or Concurrent List). These are usually new subjects that came up after the constitution was made, like Computer Software and Cyber Laws. According to the Indian Constitution, the Union Government has the power to legislate on these residuary subjects.
Q5: Explain the Language Policy of India.
Ans: Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language, but because only about 40% of Indians are Hindi speakers, 21 other languages were recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States also have their own official languages, and central government examinations can be taken in any of the scheduled languages. This flexible policy avoided the kind of conflict seen in Sri Lanka.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q6: Explain the three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments.
Ans: The Constitution clearly provides a three-fold distribution of legislative powers:
1. Union List: Includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communications, and currency. Only the Union Government can make laws on these subjects to ensure a uniform policy throughout the country.
2. State List: Contains subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture, and irrigation. Only the State Governments can make laws on these subjects.
3. Concurrent List: Includes subjects of common interest to both the Union and State Governments, such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption, and succession. Both governments can make laws, but if their laws conflict, the law made by the Union Government prevails.
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Q: Education, Forest, and Marriage fall under which list in the Indian Constitution?
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