Indian federation and state autonomy-a brief analysis

The Indian Federation is a federation of its own type. It does not fall into either of the two conventional categories. The British provinces though largely autonomous after the attainment of independence in 1947 did not possess the attributes of sovereignty. The independent states voluntarily form a federation. In case of India, some of the states were persuaded whereas some were coaxed and then coerced to join the Indian Union. Thus 27 states and the territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island constituted the territory of Indian Union before the reorganization of the States on November 1, 1956. The first UF Prime Minister Deve Gowda resolved to advance the principles of political, administrative and economic federation. There emerged a broad consensus among the political parties on the need for healthy federation. administrative and financial powers between the partners of federation and India are no exception to this. The Indian Constitution has clearly demarcated the line between the legislative, administrative and financial areas of the union and the states.