Birth of Indian States

On Monday, i.e. June 2, 2014, the country got its newest, 29th state, in Telangana. Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhara Rao has taken oath as the first chief minister of the state, separated from Andhra Pradesh. For Telangana, which was merged with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, life has come a full circle.

Let's take a look back at the making of this big family of states and UTs.

At the time of Independence, the British left Indian leaders with a lot of work needed to organise states. At the time of leaving, the British dissolved their treaty relations with 562 princely states, which were encouraged to accede to either India or Pakistan, while under no compulsion to do so. Most of the states acceded to India, and a few to Pakistan. Bhutan and Hyderabad opted for independence, although the armed intervention of India conquered Hyderabad and brought it into the Indian Union.

How many states we had at the time of Independence

The Constitution, which came into force on 26 January 1950, declared India to be a "Union of States", which were classified into three parts:

Nine Part A states: The former Governors' provinces of British India, which were ruled by an elected governor and state legislature. Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh (formerly Central Provinces and Berar), Madras, Orissa (subsequently renamed Odisha in 2011), Punjab (formerly East Punjab), Uttar Pradesh (formerly the United Provinces), and West Bengal.

Eight Part B states: Former princely states or groups of princely states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was appointed by the President. Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Travancore-Cochin.

Ten Part C states: Former chief commissioners' provinces and some princely states, each governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President. Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kutch, Manipur, Tripura, and Vindhya Pradesh.

What States Reorganisation Act, 1956, did

Soon after the Constituion came into force, a need was felt to reorganise states. In December 1953, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganisation Commission to be headed by the retired chief Justice of supreme court Fazal Ali. The three-member panel submitted a report on September 30, 1955, recommending the reorganisation of states. The States Reorganisation Act was passed in Parliament and implemented from November 1, 1956.

As a result of the Act, the country was reorganised into 14 states and six Union Territories.

Fourteen states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Bombay State, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras State, Mysore State, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Six Union Territories: Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands, Manipur and Tripura.

 When other members were added to the family

Several changes have been effected into this list to make the present set of 29 states, six UTs and one National Capital Territory of Delhi that make the Schedule 1 of our Constitution. Let's see what all these changes were:

Gujarat

On May 1, 1960, Gujarat was separated from Bombay State and given the status of state.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli

After  the end of Portuguese dominion in Dadra and Nagar Haveli on August 2, 1954, it was given the status of UT on August 11, 1961.

Haryana

On November 1, 1966, Haryana was separated from Punjab and given the status of state.

Karnataka

Called Mysore at the time of Independence and reorganized as Mysore State by States Reorganisation Act, 1956, this state was renamed Karnataka on November 1, 1973.

Arunachal Pradesh

On January 21, 1972, Arunachal Pradesh was separated from Assam and given the status of UT. On February 20, 1987, it became a state.

Daman and Diu

Earlier part of Goa which itself was UT, Daman and Diu beame a separate UT on May 30, 1987.

Goa

Liberated from the Portuguese on March 20, 1962 and clubbed with Daman and Diu to become a UT, it became a state on May 30, 1987.

Lakshadweep

Separated from Madras as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands UT on November 1, 1956, this UT was renamed as Lakshadweep on November 1, 1973.

Himachal Pradesh

Reorganised as a UT in 1956, it became a state on January 25, 1971.

North-East reorganisation

Nagaland was created in 1964. The North-Eastern Areas Reorganisation Act, 1971, reconstituted this part of the country into a number of distinct tribal homelands, which were made into seven states by 1986.

Birth of three states

On November 1, 10 and 15, 2000, three new states, India's 26th, 27th and 28th, came into being. Chhattisgarh which came first was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Uttarakhand was separated from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, the last one, was carved out of Bihar.

Odisha

On November 4, 2011, Orissa was renamed Odisha.

Telangana, the 29th state, is the latest entrant into this ever-growing family. 

 

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