Lists

Union list

The union list consists of 97 subjects on which the central government or the Parliament can make laws. The subjects in this list include subjects of national importance like defence, foreign affairs, nuclear power,banking, post and telegraph. The central government makes laws on these at all times, including in times of emergencies.

State list

The state list contains 66 subjects of local or state importance on which the state governments can make laws. These subjects include police, local governments, trade, commerce and agriculture. In times of national and state emergency, the power to make laws on these subjects is transferred to the Parliament.

Concurrent list

The concurrent list contains 47 subjects on which both the Parliament and the state legislatures can make laws. It includes criminal and civil procedure, marriage and divorce, education, economic planning and trade unions. However, in case of conflict between a law made by the central government and a law made by the state legislatures, the law made by the central government will prevail.

India has borrowed the idea of the concurrent list from the Constitution of Australia (see separation of powers in Australia).

Education, Forest, Wild life, weights and measures, administration of courts other than SC and HCs were shifted from the state list to the concurrent list by the 42^nd Amendment Act of 1976.