India is a federal union of states and union territories. The Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, made India a sovereign democratic republic and declared it to be a “Union of States”. The constitution also laid down the framework for the political structure, powers, and duties of the government institutions and the citizens. It is the longest written national constitution in the world.
How did the Union of India come into being?
The Union of India was formed after a long and complex process of political integration and reorganization of the Indian subcontinent. Before independence, India was divided into two main entities: British India and the princely states. British India consisted of provinces that were directly administered by the British government, while the princely states were semi-autonomous regions that had treaties with the British crown. There were 562 princely states at the time of independence.
The Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders, demanded freedom from British rule and the establishment of a democratic nation. The British government agreed to grant independence to India, but also decided to partition it into two dominions: India and Pakistan, based on religious lines. The partition was accompanied by widespread violence and displacement of millions of people.
The princely states were given the option to join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent. Most of them chose to accede to India, except a few like Hyderabad, Junagadh, and Kashmir, which faced disputes and conflicts. The Indian government used diplomatic, legal, and military means to integrate these states into the Indian Union.
How did the states and union territories of India evolve?
The Constitution of India divided the territory of India into three categories: Part A states, Part B states, Part C states, and Part D territories. Part A states were former provinces of British India, Part B states were former princely states with legislatures, Part C states were former princely states without legislatures, and Part D territories were the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
However, this arrangement did not reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of India. There were demands for the creation of new states based on linguistic and regional identities. The first state to be formed on linguistic grounds was Andhra Pradesh, which was carved out of Madras State in 1953. This led to the appointment of the States Reorganisation Commission, which recommended the reorganization of states and union territories on linguistic and administrative criteria. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 implemented these recommendations and created 14 states and 6 union territories.
Since then, several new states and union territories have been created or restructured due to various factors such as political, economic, social, and security reasons.
Some of the notable examples are:
Goa, which was a Portuguese colony until 1961, became a union territory in 1962 and a state in 1987.
Punjab was divided into Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh in 1966 due to linguistic and religious differences.
Delhi, which was a Part C state, became a union territory with a legislative assembly in 1991.
Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh were formed out of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh respectively in 2000 to address the issues of regional development and autonomy.
Telangana was separated from Andhra Pradesh in 2014 after a long agitation for statehood.
Jammu and Kashmir, which was a state with special status under Article 370 of the constitution, was bifurcated into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in 2019.
What are the features of states and union territories of India?
States and union territories of India have different levels of autonomy and representation in the federal system. States have their own elected governments, legislatures, and judiciary. They have powers over subjects listed in the state list and the concurrent list of the constitution. They also have representation in both houses of the parliament: the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and the Lok Sabha (lower house).
Union territories are directly administered by the central government through an appointed administrator or a lieutenant governor. They have limited legislative and executive powers. Some union territories like Delhi and Puducherry have elected legislative assemblies and chief ministers, but they are subject to the control of the central government. Union territories have representation only in the Lok Sabha, except Delhi and Puducherry, which also have representation in the Rajya Sabha.
The constitution also provides for the creation of autonomous regions within states or union territories to protect the interests of the tribal or ethnic minorities. These regions have their own councils or assemblies with special powers over certain subjects. Some of the examples are:
The Sixth Schedule of the constitution grants autonomy to certain tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in West Bengal was created in 1988 to address the demands of the Gorkha community.
The Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam was established in 2003 to end the insurgency of the Bodo militants.
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Leh and Kargil districts were formed in 1995 and 2003 respectively to ensure the development of the region.
Conclusion
The formation of the Union of India is a remarkable achievement of political integration and democratic consolidation. The states and union territories of India reflect the diversity and unity of the nation. They also play a vital role in the federal structure and governance of India.
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