Federalism is an important feature of the Indian constitution where power is divided between the centre and its constituent parts such as states or provinces. The Supreme Court of India established conditions that must be met in order for the constitution to be federal. A federal government, on the other hand, is one in which powers are divided by the Constitution between the national government and the regional governments, and both operate independently in their respective jurisdictions.

What Is Federalism?

• The term "federation" comes from the Latin word foedus, which means "treaty" or "agreement."
• As a result, a federation is a new state (political system) formed by a treaty or agreement between the various units.
• A federation can be formed in two ways: through integration or through disintegration.
• In the first case, a number of militarily weak or economically backward (independent) states join forces to form a large and powerful union, such as the United States.
• In the second case, a large unitary state is transformed into a federation by granting provinces autonomy in order to promote regional interest (for example, Canada).
• The Indian Constitution establishes a federal system of government in the country.
• The framers chose the federal system for two main reasons: the country's large size and sociocultural diversity.
• They recognized that the federal system not only ensures effective national governance but also reconciles national unity with regional autonomy.
• The Indian federal system is modelled after the 'Canadian model,' not the 'American model.'
• The 'Canadian model' is fundamentally different from the 'American model' in that it establishes a very strong centre.
• The Indian federation is similar to the Canadian federation in three ways:
  • in its formation (i.e., through disintegration);
  • in its preference for the term 'Union' (the Canadian federation is also referred to as a 'Union'); and
  • in its centralizing tendency (i.e., vesting more powers in the centre than in the states).