Answer:

Cooperation between Centre and States is required to have more interactive, inclusive, transparent and accountable governance. It is also important for harmonious working of the federal structure. Existing institutional mechanisms in India to promote such cooperation include:

♤ Institutions setup under the constitution – These include Rajya Sabha, All India Services, Inter State Council, Finance Commission. Additionally, the Parliament can provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution and control of waters of any inter-state river and river valley. It can also appoint an appropriate authority to carry out the purposes of the constitutional provisions relating to the interstate freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse.

♤ Institutions setup by Parliamentary Acts – These include Five zonal councils under States Reorganization Act 1956 plus North-Eastern Council constituted in 1971.

♤ Institutions set up by cabinet resolution - National Development Council (NDC), National Integration Council, and Planning Commission now replaced by NITI Ayog.

♤ Important conferences held either annually or otherwise to facilitate Centre-state consultations on a wide range of matters. The prominent among them includes – the Governor’s conference, the Chief Ministers’ conference, the chief secretaries’ conference, conference of inspector-general of police, the chief justices’ conference, the conference of vice-chancellors etc.

♤ Full faith and credit is to be given throughout the territory of India to public acts, records and judicial proceedings of the Centre and every state.

Inter-State Council (ISC) is a recommendatory body to investigate and discuss subjects, in which some or all of the states or the union government have a common interest, recommendations for the better coordination of policy and action, matters of general interest to the states. It was constituted under Article 263 of the Constitution in 1990 based on the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations.

A cooperative federal system needs interactions between the various levels of government, namely, the union, state and local. Therefore, the need for an inter- governmental mechanism is obvious in this system. ISC has proved its mandate to ensure better Centre-state cooperation and resolve Centre-state or inter-state issues. For example-

♤ ISC was crucial in the implementation of many of the Sarkaria Commission’s 247 other recommendations, such as altering the states’ share of central taxes.

♤ The ISC has constitutional backing, as against the NITI Aayog which only has an executive mandate. This puts the states on more solid footing—an essential ingredient in building the atmosphere of cooperation needed for calibrating centre- state relations.

♤ The council has helped bridge the trust deficit between the centre and the states. If not always a problem solver, it at least acted as a safety valve