Public Administration in India: Constitutional Framework, Union and State Administration
What the domain tests
This domain tests India's constitutional design for administration: parliamentary government, federal division, Union–State relations, and the positions of President, Governor, Prime Minister and Chief Minister. Expect questions on Articles and on centre–state friction.
Core rules and concepts
- India is a parliamentary federal republic: Article 53 vests executive power of the Union in the President, exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 74; Article 154 and Article 163 do the same for states.
- The Seventh Schedule divides powers: Union List, State List and Concurrent List; residuary powers go to the Union under Article 248.
- Articles 245–255 govern legislative relations; Articles 256–263 govern administrative relations, including directions to states and inter-state councils.
- Article 356 permits President's Rule on failure of constitutional machinery; Article 365 links non-compliance with Union directions to that failure.
- The Governor is appointed by the President, but normally acts on the advice of the state ministry except in limited constitutional discretion.
Worked example
A state refuses to implement a Union law on a Concurrent List subject. The Union cannot simply dismiss the state government; it can use administrative directions, negotiation, inter-state coordination, or, in extreme cases, Article 356 - but that is a last resort subject to judicial review. The constitutional reasoning is that Concurrent List subjects allow both levels to legislate, but Article 254 gives Union law precedence in case of repugnancy unless the state law has presidential assent.
Traps that cost marks
Do not call India purely federal; it is federal with a strong unitary bias. Article 356 is not a routine management tool. The President is not an independent chief executive. Do not confuse the Governor's constitutional discretion with general political discretion.