Political Map of India: Notes for UPSC Geography

With effect from October 31^st 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been officially bifurcated into the Union Territories (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. It is important for aspirants preparing for the IAS Exam to know how the political map of India has changed with the creation of two new Union Territories.

This article throws light upon how the political map of India has changed after the withdrawal of special status given to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Article 370 by the centre. Also, have a look at the latest political map of India.

Details about the new Political Map of India

Political Map of India after bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019:

• On the 5th of August 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
• The bill sought to bifurcate the state of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories – the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and the UT of Ladakh.
• With both the houses of parliament giving their assent to the bill, the number of states and Union Territories in India has changed.
• India will now have 28 states and the number of Union Territories in the country will be 8 (Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu were merged and the merger came into effect on 26th January 2020.)

Read about the main features of the Former Status of Jammu and Kashmir at the linked article.

What has changed with the bifurcation of the State of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories?

• The Union Territory of Ladakh will have Kargil and Leh districts.
• The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir will comprise the remaining territories of the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The UT of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Puducherry while Ladakh will be a UT without legislature like Chandigarh.
• Both the UTs will be headed by two separate lieutenant governors (LG), as per the Act.
• The Centre will be in direct control of the police and the law and order in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the land will be under the elected government there.
• The central government will have direct control over the UT of Ladakh, which will administer the region through the lieutenant governor.

Also, read about Jammu and Kashmir – Instrument of Accession [October 26, 1947]

How many states in India are there?

The list of States and Union Territories in India are mentioned below:

UPSC aspirants can get NCERT Notes on Our Country – India for Geography at the linked article and prepare for the upcoming Civil Services Exam.

Relevant Links

Multiple Choice Questions

Consider the following statements

1. With the States Reorganisation Act (1956) and the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act (1956), the distinction between Part-A and Part-B states was done away with, and Part-C states were abolished. Some of them were merged with adjacent states and some others were designated as union territories.
2. The State Reorganization Commission formed in 1953 gave its report in 1955 to reorganize states into 16 states and 3 union territories. The Government divided the country into 14 states and 6 union territories under the State Reorganization Act that was passed in November 1956.
3. The State reorganization commission consisted of H N Kunzru, Fazal Ali and K M Panikkar. 
4. Andhra Pradesh was the first state of Independent India formed on a linguistic basis. It was formed on October 1, 1953.

Choose the correct answer from the below given-options

A) Only statements 1 and 2 are true.

B) Only statements 1 and 3 are true

C) None of the above statements are false.

D) All the above statements are false.

Answer: C

Aspirants can get the updated prelims and mains UPSC Syllabus for the upcoming Civil Services Exam at the linked article and accordingly start their preparation.

To get the latest exam updates, study material and preparation tips, visit BYJU’S for expert assistance.