Federalism & Centre-State Relations
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States; issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure; devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.— UPSC Mains Syllabus
India's federal structure: Union/State/Concurrent list distribution, financial devolution (Finance Commission, GST Council), and the political tensions of cooperative vs competitive federalism. Governor's role, President's Rule, state rights — the most contested terrain in contemporary Indian polity.
NCERT References
Chapters with a link open the NCERT Companion page.
Standard Textbooks
M. Laxmikanth: Indian Polity
Punchhi Commission Report on Centre-State Relations (2010)
Supplementary Sources
Also relevant when writing this answer
These nodes commonly intersect with this one in real Mains questions. The connection is explained below each link.
Constitutional Architecture
All federalism debates are grounded in the constitutional architecture — legislative lists, emergency provisions, appointment powers.
“Any Centre-State question requires at least one constitutional provision as anchor — usually Part XI or Part VI.”
Local Governance — PRIs & ULBs
Devolution doesn't stop at States — the 73rd and 74th Amendments extend it to PRIs and ULBs. A complete federalism answer must include the third tier.
“'Challenges to fiscal federalism' is incomplete without the third-tier devolution gap.”