EDERALIS

A C ONVERSATION ON C OOPERATIVE F EDERALISM

Although the term cooperative federalism has been floating about the Indian polity for decades, it has gained new life
in the past year. The new Central government is committed to the idea, and several steps, such as the dismantling of
the Planning Commission and the increased devolution of taxes to States have been held up as demonstrations of this
commitment.So
So far, the concrete steps taken by the
the Centre may validly be seen as devolution of greater financial
autonomy to States. But is this all that cooperative federalism entails, or are
are there bigger prescriptions that the idea
encapsulates? How does the Centre play a more effective role in ensuring cooperation? What of the concomitant
responsibilities of States? Are Indias institutions, at various levels of government, designed to cooperate effectively?
These are some of the questionswe
we wish to engage on in our Conversation on Cooperative Federalism, with Justice
(Retd.) B. N. Srikrishna, and Dr. Y. V. Reddy.
Reddy

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Justice (Retd.) B. N. Srikrishnais

Srikrishnais an Indian jurist and former Judge of the Supreme Court
(2001-2006).. He has headed a number of critical commissions, including the
Commission of Inquiry on the Bombay Riots, the Sixth Pay Commission, the Financial
Sector Legislative Reforms Commission,
Commission, and the Committee on Telangana. He is
uniquely placed, therefore, to provide a constitutional perspective on contemporary
issues of federalism.

Dr. Y. V. Reddy served as the twenty-first

twenty first Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
between 2003 and 2008, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2010. More
recently, he played the role of Chairman of the 14th Finance Commission,
Commission which
recommended an unprecedented increase in the share of tax revenues transferred
from the Centre to the States,
States heralding a new era in Centre-State
State relations.
relations

ABOUT THE BRIEFING BOOK

Vidhis second Briefing Book,, titled Cooperative Federalism: From Rhetoric to Reality, will also be launched at this
event. The Book aims to take a closer look at specific practices of the Indian federation,, that are of contemporary
relevance, to try and arrive at a normative solutions that take cooperative federalism from rhetoric to reality. The
Book looks at 20 contemporary issues of federalism, and proposes solutions under the framework of cooperative
federalism, under four themes:

Statehood and Security

Institutions and Incentives for Cooperation
Financial Relations between Centre and State
The Sharing of Natural Resources