GK Question

polity medium true_false

Cooperative federalism in India means States and Union collaborate through institutions like GST Council, Inter-State Council, and NITI Aayog to address shared challenges while respecting constitutional division of powers.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Cooperative federalism framework: (a) Constitutional basis: Seventh Schedule (legislative distribution), Article 263 (Inter-State Council), Article 279A (GST Council), (b) Institutional mechanisms: (i) GST Council: Joint decision-making on indirect taxation, (ii) Inter-State Council: Policy dialogue on disputes/common interests, (iii) NITI Aayog: Governing Council (PM+CMs) for development planning, (iv) Finance Commission: Technical mediation of fiscal claims, (c) Principles: (i) Respect for constitutional domains, (ii) Consensus-building over imposition, (iii) Data-driven decision-making, (iv) Accountability through transparency, (d) Challenges: Political polarization affecting cooperation, capacity gaps in States, implementation gaps in agreements. Illustrates Indian federalism's pragmatic evolution: from competitive (coalition era bargaining) to cooperative (institutionalized dialogue) while preserving constitutional balance.

Topic Federalism - Cooperative Federalism Definition
Exam Relevance Cooperative federalism concept frequently asked in UPSC and SSC exams