Polity Notes for SSC, Railway, IB: Union Territories

Union Territories - Important Key Points

Essential Features:

• The Union and its territories are mentioned under Part-I of the Indian Constitution.
• The concerned Articles are from 1 to 4.
• The words “Union of States is preferred over the “Federation of States” because of: the territory of India consists of 

A) The territories of the states.

B) The Union Territories.

C) The Union Territories,

D) Any territories that may be acquired by India.

• As on today there are 29 states and 7 Union Territories in the country.
• The 7 Union Territories are Delhi, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Pondicherry, Chandigarh.

First schedule & other activities:

• The names of the states and the Union Territories covered by each of them have been described in the first Schedule of the constitution.
• The other countries possessions can be added to India through Constitutional amendments.
• Trough 10th amendment of the Constitution in the year 1962 the Portuguese endives of Dadra and Nagar Haveli were constituted into a Union Territories.
• Goa, Daman & Diu was added as a UT by the 12th constitutional amendment in year 1962.
• The Pondicherry together with Karaikal, Mahe & Yanam were ceded to India by the French Government in the year 1954.
• In the year 1962 through 14th constitutional amendment Pondicherry together with Karaikal, Mahe & Yanam, the French possession was added as a Union Territory.

Article-2:

• This article provides the Indian Constitution two powers to the Parliament.
• The power to admit the new states in the Union of India and the power to establish new states.
• According to 36th amendments act on April 26, 1975 Sikkim become a state into the Union of India.
• The constitutional empowered the Parliament to recognise the boundaries of the state by a Simple majority.

Article-3 & Newly Name of State:

Article-3 lays down two conditions in the formation of states.

a). The bill can be introduced in the Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President.

b). The president shall before giving recommendation refer the bill to legislature of the state which is going to be affected by the changes proposed in the bill.

1. In 1950 the states United Provinces was renamed Uttar Pradesh.
2. In the year 1969 Madress was renamed “Tamil Nadu”. This was done through Madress State Act, 1968 with effect from January, 14, 1969.
3. In the year 1973 Mysore was reamed “Karnataka”.
4. In the year 1992 the Union Territory of Delhi was re-designed as the “National Capital Territory of Delhi”. This was done through 69th amendment act, 1991 with effect from February1, 1992.

Linguestic Be-Organisation of the States:

1. Andhra was the first state to be created on the basis of language in 1953.
2. The centre constituted the states reorganization Commission which was headed by Fzal Ali. The commission recommended that the state in India can be reorganized on the basis of Language as well as on Administrative Grounds. The Parliament pass the state Act 1956-which created the state on the basis of Language.

Important notes:

1. No state in India could secede from the Union.
2. The Parliament’s power to dismiss the area of any state does not cover cession of Indian Territory to a foreign state.
3. In the Berubari(west Bengal case of 1960 on a presidential at reference. The supreme court expressed the opinion that no cession of territory could be made with out a constitutional amendments. To give effect to an agreement with Pakistan for transfer of the Berubari Territory. the 9th Constitutional Amendment took place in the year 1960.
4. The country is described as the “Union” although the Constitution is federal in structure.