Union-State Relations
Constitution Special · केंद्र-राज्य संबंध · 18 facts
The 7th Schedule divides legislative powers between Centre and States into three lists: Union List, State List, and Concurrent List.
Union List (List I) has 98 subjects — Parliament has exclusive power to legislate. Key subjects: defence, foreign affairs, currency, railways, atomic energy.
State List (List II) has 59 subjects — State Legislatures have exclusive power. Key subjects: police, public order, health, agriculture, irrigation.
Concurrent List (List III) has 52 subjects — both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate. Key subjects: education, forests, electricity, marriage, contract.
In case of conflict between Central and State law on Concurrent List subjects, the Central law prevails under Article 254.
Under Article 249, Parliament can legislate on State List subjects if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution supported by 2/3 of members present and voting.
Parliament can also legislate on State List subjects when National Emergency is in force, when states request legislation, or for treaty implementation.
The Centre can give binding directions to states on certain matters — Articles 256 (compliance with Central laws) and 257 (not impeding Central authority) allow this.
The Finance Commission (Article 280) determines the sharing of tax revenues — it recommends vertical devolution (between Centre and states) and horizontal devolution (among states).
Central Grants to states: Article 275 (grants for certain states in need) and Article 282 (discretionary grants for public purpose).
Interstate Water Disputes Act 1956 allows for setting up of Interstate Water Disputes Tribunals to resolve river water sharing conflicts between states.
Zonal Councils are statutory bodies (not constitutional) — set up under States Reorganisation Act 1956. There are 5 Zonal Councils for inter-state cooperation.
Residuary powers (subjects not in any list) vest in Parliament under Article 248 — making the Indian Constitution more centralized than a typical federation.
India follows a federal structure with unitary bias — the Constitution provides for more powers to the Centre, especially during emergencies.
Article 263 provides for establishment of Inter-State Council to investigate disputes and make recommendations on matters of common interest.
All India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS) serve both Central and State governments — their recruitment and training is done by the Centre (Article 312).
The Sarkaria Commission (1983) and Punchhi Commission (2007) both reviewed Centre-State relations and recommended more autonomy for states.
GST Council is a constitutional body (Article 279A, added by 101st Amendment) — it makes recommendations on GST rates and policies, maintaining cooperative federalism.