Q. Which one of the following is not a feature of Indian federalism?

• There is an independent judiciary in India.
• Powers have been clearly divided between the Centre and the States,
• The federating units have been given unequal representation in the Rajya Sabha.
• It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.

Answer: (d) It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.

Indian Federalism:

• Federalism refers to a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units, such as states or provinces. 
• In India, the constitution divides powers and responsibilities between the central government and the state governments. The division of powers is further enhanced by a third tier of government, the local self-government. 
• Federalism in India allows for both national unity and regional diversity, as it allows the central government to implement policies that apply uniformly throughout the country while also allowing the states to tailor policies to meet the specific needs of their regions.
• India is a federal system but with more tilt towards a unitary system of government. It is sometimes considered a quasi-federal system as it has features of both a federal and a unitary system.
• Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states, ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states’.
• The word federation is not mentioned in the constitution.
• Elements of federalism were introduced into modern India by the Government of India Act of 1919 which separated powers between the centre and the states: there are three lists are given in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution i.e. Union List, State List and Concurrent List.
• The supremacy of the constitution. The constitution is the supreme law in India.
• Independent judiciary – the constitution provides for an independent and integrated judiciary.
• States are given unequal representation in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population. Hence, the membership varies from 1 to 31 for a different state.
• The Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the states, unlike the American federation.

Federal provisions under the Indian Constitution

• Indian Constitution establishes dual polity (Article 1 read with Part V and Part VI) and the division of powers between them (Article 246 read with the 7th Schedule).
• The states have the same authority over the state list during ordinary times as the union has over the union list. Part VI of the Indian Constitution provides for the states of the Indian Union with independent constitutional existence.