CBSE Class 10 Answered

Federations are different from unitary governments in many respects. In a union, there is either a single government and the provincial or state governments are subordinate to the central government and owe their power to it. The centre can steamroll its will on the constituent units of the government through official quarters. However, in a federation, the state governments have power of their own and may use it in a constitutionally mandated manner without having to kowtow to the central government. In essence, in a federal system, both the central as well as state governments are separately responsible to the people.