State Entrustment of Executive Functions to the Union
Official heading: “Power of the States to entrust functions to the Union”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XI, Article 258A, printed pages 153–154
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Authorizes the Governor of a State, with the Union government’s consent, to entrust State executive functions to the Union or its officers.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Inserted by the Seventh Constitutional Amendment in 1956, Article 258A provides the reciprocal counterpart to Article 258(1).
It empowers the Governor of a State, with the consent of the Government of India, to entrust either conditionally or unconditionally to the Union or its officers any functions falling within the State’s executive power.
This reciprocal mechanism allows a State to utilize central agencies, armed forces, or specialized scientific institutions for state-level projects or emergency enforcement.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A State Government undertakes a massive dam construction project across a state river and seeks the specialized technical execution of the Central Water Commission.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 258A enables voluntary upward delegation from States to the Union.
- Reciprocal delegation: Complements Article 258 by allowing States to delegate functions upward to the Union.
- Consent requirement: Must have the express consent of the Government of India.
- Governor’s formal action: Executed by the Governor acting on the aid and advice of the State Council of Ministers.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XI, Article 258A, printed pages 153–154 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.