Federalism in India: Towards a Fresh Balance of Power

Federalism is one of the most important, effective, and greatest political institutions of the contemporary world. In India, the federal system has served extremely well for the country, in terms of promoting democracy, strengthening the national unity, and achieving a fair level of economic progress. However, the late 1990s witnessed a weakening of national political parties, an emergence of coalition politics, and a shift in the center-state power balance. Politically, with the rise of regional parties and coalitions in the country, India's states seem to have gained an upper hand in many spheres of governance. The country's constitution does not furnish clear guidance in many matters pertaining to center-state issues. Given the degree of permanency of the federal structure, this book considers various questions, such as: How does the state manage to resolve intergovernmental conflicts effectively? How satisfactory is the available mechanism to overcome backwardness in some regions towards a more equitable distribution of socio-economic goods and services? What kind of relationship is built between a village government and the state government?Ã?©?