Challenges and Prospects of Federalism in India: Centre–State Relations in the 21st Century

  • Unique Paper ID: 189741
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 8
  • PageNo: 475-476
  • Abstract:
  • India’s federal system is designed to balance unity with diversity. The Constitution divides powers between the Centre and the States to maintain national integrity while respecting regional differences. Over time, this balance has faced several tests due to political, economic, and administrative developments. This paper examines how India’s federal structure has evolved in the 21st century, focusing on the changing nature of Centre–State relations, fiscal challenges, and the emergence of cooperative and competitive federalism. It also discusses the impact of major reforms like the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the role of the NITI Aayog, and policy coordination during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that India’s federalism remains strong but needs further institutional reforms to ensure greater trust, fiscal fairness, and balanced development among the States.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{189741,
        author = {Dr. Babli Rani},
        title = {Challenges and Prospects of Federalism in India: Centre–State Relations in the 21st Century},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {475-476},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=189741},
        abstract = {India’s federal system is designed to balance unity with diversity. The Constitution divides powers between the Centre and the States to maintain national integrity while respecting regional differences. Over time, this balance has faced several tests due to political, economic, and administrative developments. This paper examines how India’s federal structure has evolved in the 21st century, focusing on the changing nature of Centre–State relations, fiscal challenges, and the emergence of cooperative and competitive federalism. It also discusses the impact of major reforms like the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the role of the NITI Aayog, and policy coordination during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that India’s federalism remains strong but needs further institutional reforms to ensure greater trust, fiscal fairness, and balanced development among the States.},
        keywords = {Federalism, Centre–State Relations, Cooperative Federalism, Fiscal Autonomy, Indian Constitution},
        month = {January},
        }

Cite This Article

Rani, D. B. (2026). Challenges and Prospects of Federalism in India: Centre–State Relations in the 21st Century. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(8), 475–476.

Related Articles