Who among the following is empowered to establish the interstate council?

The correct answer is B) President. Under Article 263, the President can establish an Interstate Council if it appears to him that public interests would be served by it. The council is a forum for discussing disputes between states and subjects of common interest between the Centre and states, so it sits at the heart of cooperative federalism.

• Parliament (A) is wrong. Article 263 lets Parliament regulate the council's procedure and powers, but the power to set it up rests with the President. Parliament's separate role under Article 262 is adjudicating inter-state river water disputes.
• Speaker of Lok Sabha (C) is wrong. The Speaker presides over the Lok Sabha and has no role in federal machinery of this kind.
• Prime Minister (D) is wrong. The PM is the chairman of the Interstate Council once it exists, which is why this option tempts aspirants. Chairing a body is different from establishing it.

The Interstate Council was set up by a Presidential order in 1990, following the Sarkaria Commission's recommendations. For Mains, connect it to the Sarkaria and Punchhi Commission reports and to the debate on strengthening intergovernmental coordination.

Trap: Confusing the chairman of a body with the authority that creates it, and picking the PM.