The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples. (Answer in 250 words) 15M

From the early days of its rule, the East India Company initiated the reorganisation of territories in the states they had captured, starting with Bengal, Bombay, and Madras Presidency. Since then, the process of state reorganisation and consolidation has been ongoing.

Phase-1 1850’s to 1947

• Following the revolt of 1857, the British government expedited the process of constant political and administrative reorganisation.
  • This resulted in the creation of new presidencies such as the Central Province.
  • Additionally, several independent states were integrated into the Chief Administration provinces, including Assam and Awadh.
• In 1901, the North-West Frontier Province was established from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province.
• The partition of Bengal took place in 1905 on the grounds of religion and language.

Phase 2: 1947- 2022

• The Indian Constitution of 1950 classified the states of the Indian Union into four categories: Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D, based on political and administrative considerations.
• The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), headed by Fazal Ali, was established in 1953 to recommend the reorganisation of state boundaries.
  • The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act was passed subsequently, introducing two categories of units: States and Union Territories.
  • Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on linguistic lines.
• Several territories acquired from the Portuguese, such as Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, and Puducherry, were incorporated into the Union Territories (later, Goa was granted statehood).
• The creation of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand involved the disintegration of regional boundaries and the carving out of new political territories from the existing states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
• In 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 was passed, resulting in the creation of Telangana State from Andhra Pradesh.
  • The demand for separate statehood for Telangana was based on factors such as inter-regional inequalities, inadequate industrial infrastructure, lack of educational and employment opportunities, diversion of water and natural resources from Telangana to the coastal region of Andhra, and the control of the coastal capitalist class over the Telangana region.
• In 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised for administrative and security reasons.

Since the Indian Constitution is a dynamic document that allows for the reorganization of states and union territories under Article 3, the process of reorganizing states may continue in response to evolving political and administrative dynamics.

For Daily Current Affairs Click Here

Join our Official Telegram Channel HERE
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel HERE
Follow our Instagram ID HERE