Cooperative federalism

In the news

• Op-ed: The Inter-State Council has withered away and must be rebuilt 29 October 2026 · Indian Express

  The Constitution gave the Centre and States a meeting room in Article 263. Why has it not met since 2016?

• Cauvery panel tells Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days 25 October 2026 · The Hindu

  In a drought year, who decides how little water is shared, and on what basis?

• Six States sign the Kishau dam pact on the Tons; Centre to bear about 90% of the cost 16 September 2026 · Indian Express

  A dam pending for about four decades finally has six signatures. Who gains, who loses land, and who pays?

Key facts

• The Inter-State Council is set up under Article 263 by the President; it was constituted by a Presidential Order of 28 May 1990 on the Sarkaria Commission's recommendation. (29 October 2026)
• The Prime Minister chairs the Council; its Standing Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister. (29 October 2026)
• The CWRC directed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs a day at Biligundlu for 15 days from 24 October 2026, about 3.88 tmcft in all. (25 October 2026)
• Tamil Nadu sought 18.402 tmcft, including a claimed backlog of 13.829 tmcft; Karnataka cited a 55.35% shortfall in inflows to its four basin reservoirs. (25 October 2026)
• Six States (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana) signed the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement on 15 September 2026. (16 September 2026)
• Kishau is a 232.6-metre concrete gravity dam on the Tons, a tributary of the Yamuna, on the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border. (16 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2026 · GS2 · 15 marks How far has the Indian federal framework been successful in accommodating regional and cultural diversities? Highlight the role of asymmetric federalism and suggest measures to make dispute resolution mechanisms more…
2. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marks What changes has the Union Government recently introduced in the domain of Centre-State relations? Suggest measures to be adopted to build the trust between the Centre and the States and for strengthening federalism.
3. 2023 · GS3 · 10 marks Dam failures are always catastrophic, especially on the downstream side, resulting in a colossal loss of life and property. Analyze the various causes of dam failures. Give two examples of large dam failures.
4. 2020 · GS3 · 15 marks Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation system to make its judicious use under depleting scenario.
5. 2019 · GS1 · 15 marks What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?
6. 2015 · GS2 · 12.5 marks The concept of cooperative federalism has been increasingly emphasised in recent years. Highlight the drawbacks in the existing structure and extent to which cooperative federalism would answer the shortcomings.
7. 2025 · Prelims With reference to India, consider the following: I. The Inter-State Council II. The National Security Council III. Zonal Councils. How many of the above were established as per the provisions of the Constitution of…
8. 2019 · Prelims Consider the following pairs: Glacier : River 1. Bandarpunch : Yamuna 2. Bara Shigri : Chenab 3. Milam : Mandakini 4. Siachen : Nubra 5. Zemu : Manas Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) 1, 2 and 4…