NCERT What is Federalism? Federalism is compound mode of two governments. That is, in one system there will be a mixture of two governments – state government with central government. In India, we can describe federalism as a distribution of authority around local, national, and state governments. This is similar to Canadian model of political organization. Federalism is at its core a system where the dual machinery of government functions. Generally, under federalism, there are two levels of ... It talks about federalism at length under the Indian Constitution, drawing important instances from its roots in colonial legislation and consecutive development balancing intergovernmental disputes. It also establishes cooperative federalism as an effective methodology in the governance of a diverse nation. The word “federal” is derived from the Latin word foedus, meaning covenant, pact, or treaty. Federalism is both a principle and a form of government.