What is decentralisation? State three reasons why decentralisation is important for a large and diverse country like India.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:17 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Decentralisation is the process of taking power away from the Central and State governments and giving it to local governments (like panchayats and municipalities) so that issues can be resolved at the local level.
Three reasons why decentralisation is important for India:
- Vast and diverse country: India's states are as large and populous as independent nations (e.g., UP's population exceeds Russia's), making two-tier governance insufficient.
- Better local knowledge: Local people understand the problems of their area better and can decide how to use resources more efficiently.
- Direct participation: At the local level, people can directly participate in decision-making, strengthening democratic habits and promoting local self-government.
Source: Federalism, Decentralisation in India — Chapter 2
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Explanation
- The definition must include both elements: power transferred from Central/State governments AND given to local governments.
- For the three reasons, the examiner expects points drawn from the textbook: size/diversity, local knowledge, and direct participation. Don't mix these up or write them vaguely.
- At 3 marks, one-line definition + three distinct labeled points is the ideal structure — no need to elaborate beyond one sentence per point.