Watch Free Classes
UPSC » Daily News ‘Emergency provisions impact Centre-State relations’: 17 September

Daily News ‘Emergency provisions impact Centre-State relations’: 17 September

The ongoing violence in Manipur has sparked renewed debates on Centre-State relations, specifically regarding the invocation of emergency provisions under Articles 355 and 356.

Table of Content

About Federal Structure in India:

  • India is a federation with governments at the Centre and the States.
  • The Seventh Schedule to the Indian Constitution distributes the power between the Union and States.

About Emergency Provisions:

  • Part XVIII of the Constitution covers emergency provisions, with Articles 355 and 356 addressing the Centre’s responsibility towards States.
  • Article 355: The Union is mandated to protect States from external threats, internal disturbances, and ensure constitutional governance.
  • Article 356: Allows for the imposition of the President’s rule if a State’s government cannot function in accordance with constitutional provisions.

Related Commissions:

  • The Sarkaria Commission (1987), National Commission to Review the Constitution (2002), and Punchhi Commission (2010) advised that Article 356 should be a last resort, stressing the Centre’s responsibility under Article 355.

Why in News?

  • The ongoing violence in Manipur has sparked renewed debates on Centre-State relations, specifically regarding the invocation of emergency provisions under Articles 355 and 356.