India is the world’s seventh largest country and the world’s second most populous country soon to overtake China. It is not possible to manage the entire country and its entire population from just one location. Hence, India is divided into states and union territories. This article will briefly throw light on the formation of India into states and union territories.
Division of India into States and Union Territories – History
During the Indian independence freedom struggle, Indian National Congress had promised in the 1920s that India would be divided into different provinces based on linguistics. After independence, Congress was hesitant to carry out this promise as India was already divided based on religion and did not want to create more divisions based on language.
- Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were against the creation of states based on linguistics.
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel wanted steps to be taken which would help in the growth of nationalism and rejected the steps which would prevent it.
- People speaking Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi were disappointed with this development.
- The strongest protest came from Telugu-speaking regions of Madras Province.
- The entire Andhra region was engulfed in chaos when a veteran Gandhian named Potti Sriramulu died of a hunger strike.
- Due to intense and widespread protest, the state government decided to create the new state of Andhra Pradesh on 1st October 1953.
States Reorganisation Commission – Division of States
- The State Reorganisation Commission was formed in 1953 and gave its report in 1955 to reorganise states into 16 states and 3 union territories. The Government divided the country into 14 states and 6 union territories under the State Reorganisation Act that was passed in November 1956.
- As per this report, North India was divided into several states.
- Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil, Oriya, Bengali, and Assamese speakers provinces were created.
- In 1960, Bombay was divided into Gujarati and Marathi-speaking states.
- In 1966, Punjab was divided into Punjab and Haryana.
Related Links
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1
On what basis was India divided into states?
India was divided into states based on linguistics, i.e. based on language.
Q2
What are the reasons for the creation of union territories?
Union territories were created as they were too small to be independent, politically unstable, or financially weak, or they were culturally, geographically, and economically too different from the surrounding states.
Q3
When was India divided into states and union territories?
India was divided into states and union territories, as per the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. States were created based on language and ethnicity in 1956 and abolished the system of provinces and princely states.
Q4
Why do we have states and union territories?
India is the world’s seventh largest country and the world’s second most populous country soon to overtake China. It is not possible to manage the entire country and its entire population from just one location. Hence, India is divided into states and union territories.
Q5
What is the difference between state and union territory?
The basic difference between a State and a Union Territory is that union territories are directly ruled by the Union Government, while states have a separate government for administrative purposes.
