Union Territories of India
Union territory is a type of territory in India where the central government of India governs and administers the activities of the territory. Delhi is considered to be the common capital of all the Union Territories as the Union Government is placed there. Indian President appoints Lieutenant Governor as the head of the territory and he is assigned to look after the welfare of the entire Union Territory. He always follows the orders given by the President of India.
The Union territories are further subdivided into smaller administrative blocks for effective governance called the Gram Panchayat. These Gram Panchayat include many villages and every Gram Panchayat is headed by an administrator. The basic difference between a state and a union territory is that a state has a separate governing body whereas, a union territory is directly governed by the central government or union government. The objective of creating a Union Territory was that few territories in India neither fit the model of a state nor do they follow a uniform pattern of governance.
During the Re-organisation of States Act of 1956, the territories that were economically unbalanced, financially weak, and administratively and politically unstable were formed as a separate Union Territory. The governing body at that time felt that these territories can’t survive as separate administrative unit and is heavily dependent on the Union government. Considering all the reasons union territory was formed.
Now let’s understand the formation of Union Territories in India:
1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands:
Admiral D K Joshi is the current Lieutenant Governor for Andaman & Nicobar
Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprises of 572 islands of which 37 are inhabited. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west of the islands. Port Blair is the capital of Andaman & Nicobar islands. The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces. The territory is divided into three districts: Nicobar District with Car Nicobar as capital, South Andaman district with Port Blair as capital and North and Middle Andaman district with Mayabunder as capital. The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese people, an uncontacted people. The Sentinelese are the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology.
2. Dadra & Nagar Haveli:
Shri Praful Patel is the current Administrator for Dadra & Nagar Haveli
This Portuguese ruled territory was liberated on 2 August, 1954. From 1954 till 1961, it functioned almost independently by “Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administration”. On 11 August, 1961, the territory was merged with the Indian Union and since then, is being administered as a Union Territory by the Government of India. Dadra and Nagar Haveli is surrounded by Gujarat and Maharashtra. Predominantly a rural area this Union territory has about 79 percent tribal population.
3. Lakshadweep:
Shri Dineshwar Sharma, IPS is the current Administrator for Lakshadweep
Little is known about the early history of these islands. Islanders were originally believed to be Hindus, converted to Islam under the influence of Arab traders. But Archaeological sites unearthed show evidence of Buddhist settlements dating 6th or 7th century.
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4. Puducherry:
Dr. Kiran Bedi, IPS, (Retd.) is the current Lieutenant Governor for Puducherry
Former French establishments Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which lay scattered in South India. It is bounded by Tamil Nadu and Bay of Bengal; and merged with the Indian Union in 1954 after being under French rule for 138 years. The union territory is home to a lot of small and medium scale industries which design, manufacture and market wood, leather, rubber and plastic products. There is pharmaceutical, metal, paper, cotton, food industries also.
5. Chandigarh:
Shri.V.P. Singh Badnore is the for Chandigarh
The area was part of the erstwhile Ambala district of the large and prosperous Punjab Province. Post partition, when Lahore went to Pakistan, Indian Punjab was left without a capital. Chandigarh was declared the capital city. As Chandigarh was the capital city of two states, it was declared a union territory of India.
The city has a prehistoric past. The modern city is exists on a wide lake as evident from the aquatic and amphibian fossil remains of found. The area was also a part of the Harappan civilization.
6. Daman & Diu
Shri Praful Patel is the current Administrator for Daman & Diu
Daman and Diu was the stronghold of the Chowda Rajputs during the 8th and 13th century. Thereafter the territory was ruled by the Muslim Emperors for 200 years. The 16th century marked the arrival of Portuguese in Goa and they ruled this beautiful state and the surrounding area for over 450 years. After being released from the Portuguese regime, it was made an integral part of India in 1961. Diu, Daman and Goa together formed one political unit. Post statehood being conferred on Goa Daman and Diu received the status of Union territory in 1978. Daman and Diu are two separate areas divided by the Arabian Sea and are about 600 km away from each other.
7. New Delhi
Shri Anil Baijal is the current Lieutenant Governor of New Delhi
Located in the northern part of the country, Delhi shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh in the east and is surrounded by Haryana on all sides. Per the 69th Constitutional amendment Delhi got a Legislative Assembly with the enactment of the National Capital Territory Act, 1991. Being a cosmopolitan city, Delhi is the absolute combination of tradition and modernity, with the world class metro trains, shopping malls, airport as well religious places, monuments and heritage sites. All major festivals of India are celebrated here. Some tourism festivals and fairs have become regular annual events organised by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation.
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8. Jammu and Kashmir
Shri Girish Chandra Murmu is the first and current Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is a proposed union territory of India, located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and is part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north respectively. The proposed union territory lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of the proposed union territory of Ladakh. Provisions for the formation of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir were contained within Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which was passed by both houses of the Parliament of India in August 2019. The purpose of the bill is to re-constitute the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with effect from 31 October 2019.
9. Ladakh
Shri Radha Krishna Mathur is the first and current Lieutenant Governor for Ladakh
Ladakh is a region and proposed union territory administered by India and located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, Lahaul and Spiti regions to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu region and Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the main Great Himalayas to the south In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed an act by which Ladakh will become a union territory on 31 October 2019.
In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960s, international trade has dwindled except for tourism. Since 1974, the Government of India has successfully encouraged tourism in Ladakh. Since Ladakh is a part of strategically important Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian military maintains a strong presence in the region. Historically, it included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys (now mostly in Pakistan), the entire upper Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, much of Ngari including the Rudok region and Guge in the east, Aksai Chin in the northeast (extending to the KunLun Mountains), and the Nubra Valley to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh Range. Aksai Chin is one of the disputed border areas between China and India. It is administered by China as part of Hotan County but is also claimed by India as a part of the Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1962, China and India fought a brief war over Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, but in 1993 and 1996 the two countries signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control.
In India, all the states and three union territories, i.e. Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir possess elected legislature and government.
There are a total of nine union territories in India, out of which three, i.e. Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Puducherry, have their elected members and the Chief Minister, as these are granted with partial statehood, by amendment to the Constitution.
These three possess their own legislative assembly and executive council and operate like states. The remaining union territories are controlled and regulated by the Union of the country, that’s why named as union territory.