Inter-governmental agencies are an essential mechanism to negotiate, regulate and formulate common policies at least in the policy areas of shared jurisdictions.
In India, the typical method and forums for conducting inter-governmental relation among the federal and regional governments has been called “executive federalism” because the major forums bring together the executive of administrative heads of the two orders of governments for joint policy initiatives like the National Development Council (NDC) set up in 1952 by a cabinet resolution of the Nehru Government for guidelines, approval and review of five-year plans; the Inter-State Council (ISC) provided for in article 263 in the constitution of India (1950). These two forums are chaired by the Prime Minister and include some key union ministers, all the Chief Ministers of states, and the executive heads of the Union territories.
Other examples include the ministerial and secretarial conferences on intergovernmental affairs in various policy areas and are chaired by the concerned Union minister or Union secretary. In addition, there are National Councils in some key policy areas set up under article 263 including ministerial and secretarial representations from the two orders of governments. These relate to limited issues, e.g. health, local self-government, and sales tax.
A more functional and effective ISC and NDC are absolutely necessary to prevent the cabinet itself from becoming the arena of regional conflicts and to reduce the necessity of the judiciary going beyond normal judicial review to an overdrive of judicial activism.
