Abstract

Cooperative Federalism in India reflects an ideology of a stable relationship between the centre and the states. It allows all the governing bodies to come forward and cooperate in the matters of their common interests and national development. Though the Constitution of India does not explicitly contain the word ‘cooperative federalism,’ the various provisions of the Constitution itself implied Indian Federalism as ‘cooperative federalism.' To ensure Cooperation in a vast country like India with lots of diversity, the Constitution provided for a two-tier system of government, the Union Government and the State governments, later in 1992 the third tier of federalism was added in the form of 'Panchayats' and 'Municipalities to ensure good governance by dividing power between various units. In this regard NITI Aayog, Inter State Council, GST, Inter State Water Dispute Resolution Mechanism, Centrally Sponsored Schemes are some of the notable examples. The recent global pandemic due to covid 19 has effectively revived and strengthened the federal spirit in India. The glaring examples are imposition of nationwide lookdowns, regular meetings with the state government, handling the migrant workers crisis, vacation programs etc. Through this research article the author mainly focuses on the concept of Cooperative Federalism, its Historical Roots, Constitution provision regarding federalism with recent developments, along with obstacles in the path of Indian cooperative federalism. The author has also attempted to analyse India's cooperative federalism during covid period. Finally this article endeavours to provide some fruitful recommendations to ensure more cooperation between centre and state and effectiveness.

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