CBSE Class 10 · Social Science · board exam 2027
Chapter 2: Federalism — notes
The chapter’s 7 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. What is federalism?
Okay, so you might be confused — is the Indian government called Union, Federal, or Central?
- • Federalism: power divided between central authority and constituent units
- • Two levels: national government + state/provincial governments
- • Each level enjoys power independent of the other
- • Dual objective: unity of country + regional diversity
- • Needs: mutual trust + agreement to live together
2. Two routes to federations; federal vs unitary
Okay, so, federations can form in two different ways.
- • Coming together federation: USA, Switzerland, Australia
- • -> States equal in power, strong vis-a-vis centre
- • Holding together federation: India, Spain, Belgium
- • -> Centre more powerful, units may have unequal power
- • Unitary: sub-units subordinate to central government
- • Federal: central govt cannot order state govt
3. Key features of federalism
Okay, so — this is federalism.
- • 1. Two or more levels/tiers of government
- • 2. Each tier has own jurisdiction (legislation, taxation, admin)
- • 3. Jurisdictions specified in the constitution
- • 4. Changes need consent of both levels
- • 5. Courts interpret constitution, act as umpire
- • 6. Revenue sources specified for financial autonomy
4. The Three Lists: Union, State, Concurrent
Okay, so — let's talk about how powers are divided between the Union and the States.
- • Union List: defence, foreign affairs, banking, currency -> Union Govt only
- • State List: police, trade, agriculture, irrigation -> State Govt only
- • Concurrent List: education, forest, marriage -> both; Union law prevails if conflict
- • Residuary subjects (e.g. computer software) -> Union Govt
- • Special powers: Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram (Article 371)
- • Union Territories: Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Delhi -> little power
5. Linguistic States and Language Policy
Okay, so just having rules in the Constitution isn't enough.
- • Linguistic States: same-language people grouped in one State (1947)
- • Some States (Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand): culture/ethnicity/geography based
- • Result: more unity, easier administration
- • Hindi = official language (mother tongue of ~40% Indians)
- • 21 other Scheduled Languages recognised besides Hindi
- • English continued along with Hindi after Tamil Nadu protests
6. Centre-State Relations after 1990
Okay, so let's talk about Centre-State relations after 1990.
- • Before 1990: same party often ruled Centre + States
- • Centre sometimes misused Constitution to dismiss rival State govts
- • After 1990: rise of regional parties, coalition governments at Centre
- • National parties had to ally with regional parties
- • Supreme Court judgement: harder to dismiss State govts arbitrarily
- • Result: more effective federal power sharing today
7. Local Government: The Third Tier
Okay, so think about a country as big as India.
- • Decentralisation: power given from Centre/State to local government
- • 1992 amendment: regular elections now mandatory
- • Reservation: SC, ST, OBC seats + 1/3 for women
- • State Election Commission created in each State
- • Panchayati raj: gram panchayat (panch, sarpanch) -> gram sabha
- • -> panchayat samiti/block -> zilla parishad
- • Urban: municipality/municipal corporation -> chairperson/mayor
- • ~36 lakh elected representatives across India
Summary
Okay, so let's bring this whole chapter together. We started with the idea of federalism itself — power is shared between a central authority and the constituent units, and each of them has its own independent power. The aim is simple, really. Unity on one side, and room for diversity on the other. Then we looked at two different routes by which federations are formed. One is coming together, like the USA. The other is holding together, like India. We also saw the key features that make a system federal, and how that's different from a unitary government. After that, we explored how India actually practises federalism — through the Union List, the State List, and the Concurrent List, along with special provisions for some States, and Union Territories too. We saw how democratic politics made federalism stronger over time — through the creation of linguistic States, a flexible language policy, and the way Centre-State relations changed after 1990, with coalition governments becoming more common. And finally, we met the third tier of government — local government — born out of decentralisation and made stronger by the 1992 constitutional amendment, covering both panchayati raj in villages and municipal bodies in cities. So, thinking about all of this — which of these ideas felt the most new to you?
Ask Medha · Medha Ma’am — CBSE Class 10 Social Science, Chapter 2. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "Federalism" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the Ask Medha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 45 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.