Practice of Cooperative Federalism in India

The Indian Constitution has several provisions and features have been deliberately designed to promote the concept of Centre-State cooperation (Cooperative Federalism).

• Article 252(1) provides for delegation of powers by two or more states to Parliament so as to enable it to legislate with respect to a matter in the State List in relation to such states.
• The Indian Constitution provides for a scheme of tax sharing between the Centre and the State.
• Apart from the scheme of tax sharing, there is another way of transfer of revenue from the Centre to the State and that is the system of grants-in-aid. Article 282 provides for the making any grants by the Union for any public purpose.
• If the Rajya Sabha declares, by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present, and it is necessary or expedient in the national interest so to do, Parliament may be by law provide for the creation of one or more All India Services (including an All-India Judicial Service) and regulate recruitment and conditions of service of it.
• Article 261(1) lays down that full faith and credit should be given throughout the territory of India to public acts, records and judicial proceedings of the Union and of every State. This is to give them a nation-wide application.
• Article 263 provides that the President may be by order appoint an Inter-State Council if it appears to him that the public interests would be served by the establishment of a Council.
• Zonal Council has been introduced in India by the State Re-organization Act, 1956. These Zonal Councils were created to promote the mechanism of intergovernmental consultation and coordination in socio-economic fields.

NITI Aayog was set up mainly to promote the co-operative federalism and giving the State more freedom to design the developmental plans. The Governing Council’s maiden meeting which was conducted in the first week of February 2015 demanded greater freedom for the States to frame their developmental plans.