Practice Test: Federalism - Class 10

Courts
Explanation: The power to interpret the constitution is with the courts, specifically the judiciary branch of the government. The highest court in the United States, the Supreme Court, has the ultimate authority to interpret the constitution and ensure that laws are in compliance with constitutional principles. This power is known as judicial review, which allows courts to review legislation, executive actions, and state laws to ensure they are consistent with the constitution.

The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or the local government. But in a federal system, the central government cannot order the state government to do something. The state government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to the people.

National defence comes under union list and not under state list.

'Coming Together' refers to the form of federalism where small individual states come together to form a Union or Nation. In this type of federalism the states have individual identity and have majority of control over their governance. USA, Switzerland and Australia are countries which combined different states together to form a country and hence an example for 'Coming Together' federation.

The Indian Constitution seeks to maintain the balance of power between the Centre and States by providing for a federal system of government. However, the term 'federation' has nowhere been used in the Constitution. Article 1 of the Indian Constitution describes 'India, that is Bharat' as a 'Union of States', an expression which implies two things. Firstly, the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement between the States. Secondly, the states do not have a right to secede from the federation. In fact, the States of the Indian federation have no independent existence of their own. Parliament can alter their names and territories without their consent.

Powers are split by the constitution of India into central govt. and state govt. The Indian Constitution's 7th schedule defines the separation of powers between the central and state govts. Significant authority and obligations lie with both the central and state govts.
The 7th schedule of comprises the union list, state list, and concurrent list. The state list comprises all matters where state govt. can make laws and legislate.

• Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of government.
• One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest.
• The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other.

A mayor is the head of the Municipal Corporation. He is elected by the members of the Municipal Corporation. He is known as the first citizen of the city.

• There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
• The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution. So the existence and authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed. 
• Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government. The highest court acts as an umpire if disputes arise between different levels of government in the exercise of their respective powers. 

First route involves independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit this is known as coming together federation. The second route is where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government this is holding together federation.