What are the three levels of government in India?

Many levels, and three in India

Any democratic government works at more than one level: a local level, close to the people, a national level, for the whole country, and in many countries a level in between. In many countries, including India, the government works at three levels, or tiers: local, State or regional, and national. In India these are:

• Local government, at the level of a village or a town;
• State government, at the level of a State;
• Central or Union government, at the national level.

Each level deals with different matters, so each problem goes to the level that can deal with it.

The bulb example

Suppose a bulb in your home does not light up. First you check the bulb, the switch and the fuse yourself. If that does not work, you call an electrician. If the electrician finds the problem is not inside your home at all, you go to the Electricity Board and file a complaint. These are three levels of dealing with one problem: you move up a level only when the level below cannot fix it.

The flood example

Imagine that after several days of heavy rain, part of a district is flooded.

1. If the flood is not too severe, the local authorities may be able to deal with it.
2. If it affects several towns and many villages, the State government steps in and sends rescue teams to help the people affected.
3. If it is a massive flood covering vast areas, the Central government may also help, by sending relief supplies, the army and so on.

The three levels work together, each joining in when the problem grows beyond the one below.

Who leads each level, and what does it do?

Level	Who leads it	Some of its work
Central government	President (nominal head) and Prime Minister (executive head)	Defence, foreign affairs, atomic energy, communications, currency, trade between States, education, national policies
State government	Governor (nominal head) and Chief Minister (executive head)	Police and law and order, carrying out Central laws in the State, public health, education, agriculture, irrigation, local government
Local government	Elected bodies of the village or town	Matters close to home, studied in the next two chapters

Nominal means ‘in name only’. The President of India and the Governor of a State are not the actual executive heads. They have certain powers in special situations, but normally they do not interfere in the work of the Central or State government. The President is also the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.

Notice that education is in both the Central and the State lists: the two levels share the work.

Each level has its own lawmakers and courts

The levels are not only about the executive. At the national level, laws are made by two houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha; in a State, by the Vidhan Sabha (most States have a single assembly, and a few have two). The Supreme Court of India is the court for the whole country, and each State has a High Court.

Where you meet each level

Ask two or three adults when they deal with the government, and at which level. Their answers will show all three levels in daily life. (Extra: for example, a birth certificate is registered by the local body, a driving licence comes from the State transport department, and a passport is issued by the Central government.)

The grassroots

Below all three levels are the citizens themselves. Grassroots democracy means a system that enables and encourages ordinary citizens, the base of the structure, to take part and have a say in the decisions that affect them. Local government is where this begins, and it is studied next in the book. To see how each government is organised inside, read three organs of government.