A federation is a league of states. Association in which several states are united together in common matter and are in dependent a federation agreement between the state and the centre to work together and yet function in is dependently. As one writer has picture. In other matters souly said “federation is a contract between the central sun and the planet states so that the central sun may not be blown up into vacuum and planet states may not be absorbed into the central sun.
The most important feature of federation is the division of powers between the centre and the state. Both have original powers and derived powers there cannot be any hard and fast rule as to how powers are to be divided and distributed. There are three lists the Union list contains 97 items, the State list contains 66 items and Concurrent list contains 47 items.
The centre is competent along with the state to make laws on the concurrent list and provision for resolving on conflict over law made by both on a subject in a concurrent list favours the centre. Article 254 says that if there is a conflict of laws made by the centre and state on a concurrent subject and state law has been reserved for the consent of the President and has received his consent the state laws shall prevail over the existing central law.
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This is certainly significant in so far as the state law under certain circumstances can prevail over the parliamentary law. Besides the above division of powers, the constitution also provides that three residual powers are also vested in the centre. This division of power makes central very strong. Both the Govt, derive their authority from the people and act actively on the people of India.
The citizens have to obey not only the central law but also the state law. An Indian citizen has to pay taxes direct and indirect to both the govts. Both the govts, demand their royalty. This looks difficult and confusing. Yet in actual practice this has not caused any inconvenience or trouble to the citizens because govts do not overlap.
In fact Articles 245 to 300, deal with administrative legislative and financial relations between the union govt, and state. Demarcation of the boundaries between the two has been done very clearly and minutely.