Union Territories of India, List, Map, Names, Capital, Area of 8 UTs

Union Territories of India

Union Territories of India: India is a union of states that operates under a democratic, socialist, secular, and republican style of government. In India, a sort of administrative division known as a union territory is one that is directly governed by the Union government (Central Government). It is therefore referred to as the “union territory.” The President is the Union’s Executive’s head according to the Constitution. The President oversees the Union Territories through an Administrator that he or she has designated.

Due to their origin and evolution, India’s union territories have unique rights and status. An Indian subdivision is given the title of “Union Territory” in order to protect the rights of indigenous cultures, prevent political unrest over issues of governance, as well as other reasons.

List of 8 Union Territories of India

Here’s the List of 8 Union Territories of India 2023:

Largest Union Territories of India

With a total land area of 59,146 km2, Ladakh is the largest union territory in terms of size. The largest union territory is Delhi in terms of population. The 2011 Census determined that Delhi has a total population of 16,787,941 people.

Union Territories of India & Capitals

Ladakh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry are the eight union territories in India.

• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, was passed by the Indian government in 2019.
• The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh were created out of Jammu and Kashmir, creating two Union Territories.
• In 2020, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will become one Union Territory and be known as only Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

UT of India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands

UT of India: Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu

UT of India: Lakshadweep

UT of India: Puducherry (Pondicherry)

UT of India: NCT of Delhi

UT of India: Chandigarh

UT of India: Ladakh

UT of India: Jammu and Kashmir

Union Territories of India Map

What are Union Territories?

Federal territories known as Union Territories (UTs) are governed by India’s Union Government. They are also referred to as areas with central administration. To oversee the Union Territories, the Indian President appoints Lieutenant Governors (LGs). The UT administrators are the LGs. The 1956 States Reorganization Act included the introduction of the UTs. The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act of 1956 introduced the idea of the UT.

Union Territories of India: Constitutional Provision

The union territories are covered by Articles 239 to 241 in Part VIII of the Constitution, and their governmental structure is not standardized.

The original Constitution’s Article 239 allowed the President to administer UTs directly through administrators. In 1962, Article 239A was introduced to give Parliament the power to establish legislatures for the UTs. To fulfill the aspirations of the people of these territories for democracy, several UTs were given a legislature and a Council of Ministers. By the Constitution (69th Amendment) Act of 1991, special provisions for the National Capital Territory of Delhi were introduced to Article 239AA of the Indian Constitution.

In accordance with Article 240, the President may enact laws to ensure the safety, development, and effective administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry. In the instance of Puducherry, the President can only pass legislation after the assembly has been dissolved or suspended. The President’s regulations have the same legal weight as parliamentary acts.

According to Article 241, the Parliament may declare any court in any territory to be a High Court for all or any of the purposes of the Constitution or establish by law a High Court for a Union Territory. Only Delhi’s NCT has a standalone High Court.

Need for Union Territories of India

The various justifications for the creation of UTs included the fact that these areas were either too tiny to be autonomous, too distinct (geographically, economically, and culturally) to be combined with neighbouring states, or were either weak economically or politically. Because of the aforementioned factors, they were unable to function as independent administrative entities and had to be governed by the Union Government. Given their location or unique status, several were designated as UTs.

While Puducherry was governed by the French, the Portuguese ruled the UTs of Daman and Diu. They have a unique culture compared to the States around them, so additional measures may be needed to protect that identity while still allowing for efficient governance. The islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar are far from the Indian mainland and are strategically placed. From a national security perspective, it may be deemed necessary for the Union government to have control over them.

Chandigarh serves as the administrative centre for Punjab and Haryana whereas Delhi serves as the nation’s administrative centre. Delhi’s unique position in Indian politics as the nation’s capital makes union government authority over it necessary. We had 14 states and 6 UTs in 1956. The number of states rose throughout time to 28 and the number of UTs to 8. Since the 1960s, a number of UTs have expanded into full states, including Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram.

Union Territories of India 2023

The Union Territories are administered by the Lieutenant Governor, who represents the President of India and is chosen by the President on the Prime Minister’s recommendation. The Union Territories are under the direct control of the Central Government. There is no representation for Union Territories in the Rajya Sabha, with the exception of Delhi and Puducherry.

Each Union territory’s administrator has functional responsibilities apart from those of his counterpart administrators in other Union areas. For efficient governance, the Union territories are further divided into smaller administrative divisions. The smallest unit of government is a village. Every village has a Gram Panchayat, or representative administrative body. Several villages may be under the administrative supervision of a Gram Panchayat.

Major Incidents in Indian History

1. Quit India Movement
2. Chauri Chaura Incident
3. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
4. Green Revolution in India
5. Non-Cooperation Movement

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