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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Cooperative federalism | Centre and states working together as equal partners on shared goals | NITI Aayog; GST Council |
| Competitive federalism | States competing for investment and performance rankings | NITI Aayog indices |
| Union List | List I — 100 subjects — exclusive Parliament jurisdiction | 7th Schedule |
| State List | List II — 61 subjects — primarily state legislature jurisdiction | 7th Schedule |
| Concurrent List | List III — 52 subjects — both Centre and States; Central law prevails | 7th Schedule |
| Residuary powers | Legislative power over subjects not in any list — Parliament | Art 248 |
| Article 254 | Repugnancy — Central law prevails over State law on Concurrent subjects | Constitution |
| Article 356 | President's Rule — constitutional breakdown in state | Constitution |
| President's Rule | Central government takes over state administration | Art 356 |
| Article 263 | Inter-State Council — consultative body for inter-state disputes | Constitution |
| Finance Commission | Recommends tax devolution and grants — Art 280 | Art 280 |
| Divisible pool | Central taxes shared with states; excludes cesses/surcharges | Finance Commission |
| GST Council | Joint Centre-State body for GST policy (Art 279A) | 101st Amendment |
| Sarkaria Commission | 1983–87; reviewed Centre-State relations; recommended against Art 356 misuse | Indian federalism |
| Punchhi Commission | 2007–10; recommended constitutional status for Inter-State Council | Indian federalism |
| S.R. Bommai | 1994 SC case restricting Art 356 misuse; floor test mandatory | Landmark case |
| Governor | State constitutional head + Centre's representative; appointed by President | Art 153–167 |
| All India Services | IAS, IPS, IFoS — recruits nationally, serves states (Art 312) | Art 312 |
| Article 249 | RS resolution enables Parliament to legislate on State List | Constitution |
| Repugnancy | Conflict between Central and State laws on Concurrent subjects | Art 254 |
| CSS | Centrally Sponsored Schemes — Centre + State co-funded; conditionalities | Federal finance |
| FRBM Act | Fiscal discipline law for Centre and states | 2003 |
| Horizontal devolution | Distribution of states' share among themselves — Finance Commission formula | Art 280 |