Regionalism

What the official syllabus says

UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination, Paper II: General Studies I.

Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

This page covers regionalism.

Topics in detail

Meaning and forms

• Region and regional identity; regionalism as loyalty to a region
• Forms: demands for separate statehood, demands for autonomy, ‘sons of the soil’ movements, inter-state disputes, secessionist movements

Causes

• Language and culture
• Uneven development and regional imbalance
• Historical and ethnic identity
• Political mobilisation; neglect of local aspirations

Examples

• Linguistic reorganisation of states and its effect
• Movements for new states: Telangana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh; continuing demands
• Movements in the North-East
• Inter-state river water disputes (Cauvery, Krishna) and boundary disputes
• Migrant workers and nativist movements; reservation of private jobs for local residents
• Sub-regional demands within states (for example Vidarbha, Bundelkhand, Gorkhaland)
• Regional parties and their role in coalition politics

Effects

• Positive: recognition of identity, better local governance, cultural preservation
• Negative: friction between states, hostility to migrants, threat to unity

Remedies

• Balanced regional development; fiscal transfers through the Finance Commission
• Cooperative federalism; the Inter-State Council (Article 263) and the Zonal Councils
• Tribunals for river water disputes (Article 262)
• Autonomy through the Sixth Schedule and special provisions (Article 371)
• Respect for local languages and culture
• Special category status for some states and the debate on it

Overlaps

• Federalism and centre–state relations are part of General Studies II.