RAS question
GST Council voting weight — Centre has:
Correct answer: (C) One-third, States two-thirds.
In the GST Council, the Central Government's vote has one-third weightage, while all State Governments together have two-thirds weightage.
Explanation
Article 279A(9) fixes the GST Council's voting design: every decision at a meeting must secure at least three-fourths of the weighted votes of the members present and voting. Within that weighted vote, the Central Government carries one-third of the total votes cast, and all State Governments taken together carry two-thirds. The key is that the States' share is collective, not an equal vote for each State against the Centre. This is why the Centre does not have a majority by itself, and the States are also counted as a bloc for the purpose of the constitutional weightage. The correct option is therefore one-third for the Centre and two-thirds for the States together.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Equal weight for the Centre and each State is wrong because Article 279A(9) assigns one-third to the Central Government and two-thirds to all State Governments taken together.
- (B) Centre two-thirds reverses the constitutional split; the two-thirds weightage belongs to all State Governments collectively.
- (D) One-half each is not the Article 279A(9) formula, which uses one-third for the Centre and two-thirds for the States together.
Concept
This tests the constitutional architecture of GST federalism under Article 279A. RAS repeatedly asks such provisions because they combine fiscal governance with Centre-State relations and special majority rules.