Which of the following statements about India's federal structure are…

Which of the following statements about India's federal structure are correct?

(A) Constitutional provisions define the powers of the States and the Centre.
(B) A Concurrent List covers areas where both State and Centre may operate.
(C) State legislatures determine the composition of the Lok Sabha.
(D) The GST Council includes State members.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → A, B and D only

(A) Constitutional provisions define the powers of the States and the Centre. — Correct. The Constitution sets out what the States can do and what the Centre can do. This keeps the States viable as relatively autonomous units.

(B) A Concurrent List covers areas where both State and Centre may operate. — Correct. Besides the lists that belong only to the State or only to the Centre, there is a Concurrent List. It holds areas where both may act.

(C) State legislatures determine the composition of the Lok Sabha. — Incorrect. State legislatures determine the composition of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament. The Lok Sabha is the lower house, elected directly by the people.

(D) The GST Council includes State members. — Correct. The GST Council includes State members, so the States share in decisions on this tax.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.2 Regionalism in the Indian Context …
Respecting regional sentiments is not just a matter of creating States: this has to be backed up with an institutional structure that ensures their viability as relatively autonomous units within a larger federal structure. In India this is done by Constitutional provisions defining the powers of the States and the Centre. There are lists of ‘subjects’ or areas of governance which are the exclusive responsibility of either State or Centre, along with a ‘Concurrent List’ of areas where both are allowed to operate. The State legislatures determine the composition of the upper house of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha. In addition there are periodic committees and commissions that decide on Centre-State relations. An example is the Finance Commission which is set up every five years to decide on sharing of tax revenues between Centre and States. Upto 2017, each Five Year Plan also involved detailed State Plans prepared by the State Planning Commissions of each state. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council includes State members.”