Relationship Between Union and State
The Constitution of India establishes a federal system with a strong unitary bias, defining relations between the Union and States in three major areas:
⚖️ 1. Legislative Relations
📜 Constitutional Provisions
- Articles 245 to 255 of the Constitution of India
🔑 Key Features:
Distribution of powers through Seventh Schedule:
- Union List → Parliament legislates
- State List → State Legislatures legislate
- Concurrent List → Both can legislate
Residuary powers lie with:
- Article 248 of the Constitution of India → Parliament
⚠️ Union Supremacy:
Parliament can legislate on State subjects in special cases:
- During National Emergency
- With Rajya Sabha resolution (Art. 249)
- At request of States (Art. 252)
- To implement international agreements (Art. 253)
🏛 2. Administrative Relations
📜 Constitutional Provisions
- Articles 256 to 263 of the Constitution of India
🔑 Key Features:
- States must ensure compliance with Union laws
- Union can issue directions to States
1. 📌 Directions by the Union to States
🔹 Under Article 256 of the Constitution of India
- States must ensure compliance with laws made by Parliament
- Union can issue directions to States
🔹 Under Article 257 of the Constitution of India
Union can give directions to avoid:
- Obstruction in Union’s executive power
- Issues of national importance
✔ Example:
- Protection of railways, communication systems
2. 🚨 Consequence of Non-Compliance
If a State fails to follow Union directions:
- It may lead to Article 356 of the Constitution of India
👉 President’s Rule can be imposed due to failure of constitutional machinery
3. 🔄 Mutual Delegation of Functions
🔹 Under Article 258 of the Constitution of India
- Union can delegate its executive functions to States
🔹 Under Article 258A of the Constitution of India
- States can also delegate functions to Union
✔ Promotes cooperation and flexibility
4. 👨💼 All India Services
Includes:
- IAS (Indian Administrative Service)
- IPS (Indian Police Service)
📜 Under Article 312 of the Constitution of India
✔ Features:
Officers are recruited by the Union but serve in States
Ensures:
- Uniform administration
- National integration
5. 🤝 Inter-State Council
📜 Under Article 263 of the Constitution of India
✔ Functions:
- Resolve disputes between States
- Discuss policies of common interest
- Promote coordination
6. 🛠 Role of Governors
- Governor acts as a link between Union and State
- Appointed by the President
✔ Functions:
Reports to Union about State administration
Can recommend:
- President’s Rule
7. 🚧 Control during Emergencies
During National Emergency (Art. 352):
- Union gets full control over State administration
During President’s Rule (Art. 356):
- State executive functions exercised by Union
8. 📊 Financial Control (Indirect Administrative Mechanism)
- Union provides grants-in-aid
- Can influence State policies through funding
🧠 Memory Trick:
👉 “DD MAGIC”
- D → Directions
- D → Delegation
- M → Misuse → President’s Rule
- A → All India Services
- G → Governor
- I → Inter-State Council
- C → Control during emergency
💰 3. Financial Relations
📜 Constitutional Provisions
- Articles 268 to 293 of the Constitution of India
🔑 Key Features:
Division of taxation powers:
- Union taxes (e.g., customs, income tax)
- State taxes (e.g., land revenue, excise on alcohol)
Finance Commission (Art. 280):
- Recommends distribution of revenue
Grants-in-aid (Art. 275):
- Financial assistance to States
⚖️ GST System:
- Shared taxation through GST Council
- Promotes cooperative federalism
🔑 Overall Nature
👉 India follows “Cooperative Federalism with Unitary Bias”
- Strong Centre during emergencies
- Cooperation in normal times
🧠 One-Line Conclusion (Exam Ready):
👉 The Union-State relationship in India balances autonomy and unity through a structured distribution of legislative, administrative, and financial powers, ensuring both federalism and national integrity.
🧠 Easy Memory Trick:
👉 “LAF”
- L → Legislative
- A → Administrative
- F → Financial
