{"id":87697,"date":"2026-10-30T17:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T12:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87697"},"modified":"2026-10-30T17:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T12:22:52","slug":"inter-state-council-cooperative-federalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/30-10-2026\/inter-state-council-cooperative-federalism","title":{"rendered":"Reviving Inter-State Council: For Federalism To Be Truly Cooperative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The debate over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/16-04-2026\/lok-sabha-delimitation\"><strong>delimitation of parliamentary constituencies<\/strong><\/a> has renewed concerns about Centre-state consultation, highlighting the <strong>need to revive the Inter-State Council<\/strong> as an institutional platform for cooperative federalism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Inter-State Council (ISC)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a constitutional mechanism designed to strengthen Centre-state and inter-state relations through dialogue, consultation and coordination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 263 of the Indian Constitution<\/strong> provides for the establishment of an Inter-State Council by the President.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is <strong>not a permanent constitutional body<\/strong> for coordination between the States of the Union.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can be established<strong><em> \u2018at any time\u2019 <\/em><\/strong>if it appears to the President that the public interests would be served by the establishment of such a Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was established through a Presidential Order in <strong>May 1990<\/strong>, following the recommendations of the <strong>Sarkaria Commission (1983\u201388).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nature:<\/strong> It is an <strong>advisory and recommendatory body<\/strong>, not a judicial or legislative institution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chairperson:<\/strong> Prime Minister of India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Members:<\/strong> Chief Ministers of all states, Chief Ministers of Union Territories having Legislative Assemblies, administrators of other Union Territories, and six Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secretariat:<\/strong> The Inter-State Council Secretariat functions <strong>under the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Functions Under Article 263<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The President may establish a council to perform the following functions:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Investigate and discuss subjects of common interest between the Union and states or among states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make recommendations for better coordination of policy and action.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deliberate upon disputes between states and advise on their resolution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thus, the Council provides a constitutional framework for resolving differences through dialogue rather than confrontation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Does the Inter-State Council Matter Today?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Managing Delimitation and Federal Balance: <\/strong>Delimitation can significantly affect the political representation of states in Parliament.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>States that have achieved better population control may fear losing relative political influence compared to states with higher population growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Inter-State Council can facilitate a national dialogue involving all state governments before decisions with long-term federal implications are taken.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening Cooperative Federalism: <\/strong>Several national priorities, including taxation, infrastructure, healthcare, education and internal security, require coordination between the Union and states.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Council can ensure that state governments participate meaningfully in national policymaking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Resolving Inter-State Disputes: <\/strong>Disputes relating to river waters, territorial boundaries, electricity distribution and natural resources often create prolonged political and administrative tensions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Council can provide a platform for negotiation and consensus-building.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Addressing Regional Diversity: <\/strong>India&#8217;s states differ considerably in their economic development, geographical conditions, demographic trends and administrative capacities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Consultation through the Council can make national policies more sensitive to regional requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening Democratic Federalism: <\/strong>Regular interaction between the Prime Minister, Union ministers and Chief Ministers can reduce political mistrust and strengthen constitutional cooperation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Has the Council Remained Ineffective?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Irregular Meetings:<\/strong> The Council&#8217;s meetings have been infrequent. Its 12th meeting was held in July 2016, reflecting the absence of a sustained consultation mechanism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excessive Centralisation:<\/strong> Its Secretariat functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, limiting its institutional independence and capacity to set an autonomous agenda.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advisory Nature:<\/strong> Its recommendations are not legally binding, reducing its influence over major policy decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Differences:<\/strong> Differences between the Union government and states, particularly those governed by Opposition parties, often weaken intergovernmental cooperation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Overlap:<\/strong> Several other bodies, including the NITI Aayog Governing Council and GST Council, perform specialised coordination functions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, the absence of an effective overarching forum limits comprehensive federal deliberation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Institutional Continuity:<\/strong> There is insufficient emphasis on regular meetings, systematic follow-up of recommendations and independent policy research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Efforts and Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sarkaria Commission (1983\u201388):<\/strong> Recommended the establishment of a permanent Inter-State Council under Article 263.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Punchhi Commission (2007\u201310):<\/strong> Examined Centre-state relations and recommended improvements in intergovernmental coordination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zonal Councils:<\/strong> Established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, to promote regional cooperation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>GST Council (Article 279A):<\/strong> Provides a constitutional platform for Centre-state cooperation in indirect taxation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NITI Aayog Governing Council (2015):<\/strong> Brings together the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers to discuss development priorities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inter-State Council Secretariat: <\/strong>Provides institutional and administrative support for intergovernmental consultation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward: Making the Inter-State Council Effective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ensure Regular Meetings:<\/strong> Meetings should be conducted at fixed intervals, preferably twice a year, with provisions for special sessions on urgent national issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Institutional Autonomy:<\/strong> The Secretariat should be empowered with independent administrative and research capabilities, supported by constitutional and statutory safeguards wherever necessary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expand Its Deliberative Role:<\/strong> Major policy reforms affecting states, including delimitation, fiscal devolution, natural resource distribution and centrally sponsored schemes, should undergo structured consultation through the Council.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve Follow-up Mechanisms:<\/strong> Recommendations should be accompanied by implementation timelines, periodic reviews and publicly accessible action-taken reports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote Evidence-Based Dialogue:<\/strong> Expert committees comprising constitutional scholars, economists, administrators and representatives of state governments should support its deliberations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Political Consensus:<\/strong> The Council should function beyond party affiliations, recognising that federal cooperation is a constitutional necessity rather than a political concession.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cooperative federalism cannot remain merely a political slogan; it requires strong and functioning institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Inter-State Council already has a constitutional foundation under Article 263. Revitalising it can transform Centre-state relations from periodic political confrontation into continuous institutional cooperation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As India navigates complex challenges involving economic development, demographic changes and constitutional balance, an effective Inter-State Council is not merely desirable but essential for strengthening the spirit of <strong>Team India and democratic federalism<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q] <\/strong>The Inter-State Council is an important constitutional mechanism for strengthening cooperative federalism in India, but its potential remains underutilised. Examine its significance and suggest measures to improve its effectiveness.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/tharoor-federalism-cooperative-revive-the-inter-state-council-10940154\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Published on:<\/strong> 30 October, 2026<\/p>\n<p> The debate over delimitation of parliamentary constituencies has renewed concerns about Centre-state consultation, highlighting the need to revive the Inter-State Council as an institutional platform for cooperative federalism.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":87700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/inter-state-council-1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87698,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87697\/revisions\/87698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}