Union Territories of India with Capital List and History

Union Territories of India 2024

There are 8 union territories in India, which are Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. 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 directly governed by the Union government (Central Government).

It is, therefore, referred to as the “union territory.” The President is the Union’s Executive head according to the Constitution. The President oversees the Union Territories through an Administrator designated by them. Read this article to know all about the union territories of India in detail.

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What is Union Territories? 

A union territory is an administrative division in the Republic of India. Unlike the states of India, which have their own governments, union territories are federal territories governed by the Union Government of India, in part or whole.

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” to protect the rights of indigenous cultures and prevent political unrest over issues of governance, as well as other reasons.

How many Union Territories are there in India?

There are eight union territories in India. Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry are the eight union territories of India. Here is the List of 8 Union Territories of India along with their Capitals, Year of Foundation, Population and Area:

Capital of 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.

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.

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• The union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 38 inhabited islands.
• The union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea.
• An uncontacted tribe named Sentinelese people are located in the Islands.

2. Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu

• The two union territories of “Dadra and Nagar Haveli” and “Daman and Diu” were merged and a single union territory was established on 26th January 2020.
• All these territories were former colonies of the Portuguese.
• Some of the major tourist attractions in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are Naida Caves, Diu Fort, Vanganga Lake Garden, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Tapovan Tourist Complex, Nakshatra Garden, Vasona Lion Safari, Satmalia Deer Sanctuary and Tribal Museum in Silvassa.

3. Lakshadweep

• Lakshadweep islands are located in the Arabian Sea.
• It consists of 36 islands in the Arabian Sea.
• The name Lakshadweep in Malayalam and Sanskrit means ‘a hundred thousand islands’.
• Lakshadweep is also known as Laccadives.
• The Islands of Lakshadweep is located in the distance between 220 Km to 440 km away from Kochi

4. Puducherry (Pondicherry)

• Previously called Puducherry, it was known as Pondicherry.
• The union territory of Puducherry has former French establishments of Yanam, Karaikal, and Mahe — all scattered in various places in South India.
• 4 small geographically unconnected parts constitute the union territory of Puducherry.
• Mahe district is enclosed by Kerala, Yanam district is enclosed by Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry and Karaikal are enclosed by the state of Tamil Nadu.
• Puducherry is the third most densely populated union territory.
• The popular tourist attractions in Puducherry are churches, parks, beaches, temples, etc.
• The famous Indian Nationalist, poet, philosopher and yoga guru Sri Aurobindo was the residence of Puducherry

5. NCT of Delhi

• Delhi is a city and a union territory of India.
• New Delhi is the capital of India.
• Delhi is on the banks of the Yamuna River, which is unfortunately very highly polluted. The actions taken to clean the Yamuna River are highly inadequate.
• It shares boundaries with the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• It has UNESCO world heritage sites.
• In history, Delhi was the capital of the Mughal Empire, Delhi Sultanate, and British India.
• In wealth, Delhi comes in the second-highest number of billionaires in India
• In the past, Delhi had hosted important sporting events such as the Cricket World Cup, Hockey World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.

6. Chandigarh

• Chandigarh is not only a union territory of India but also the joint capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab.
• Chandigarh is famously known as “Pensioner’s Paradise”.
• There are many famous schools and top higher educational institutions located in Chandigarh.
• It is famous for its urban design, architecture, green belts and tourist parks.
• Chandigarh is one of the earliest planned cities.
• It was designed by Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect.
• The capitol complex in Chandigarh was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2016.

7. Ladakh

• Leh is the capital city of Ladakh.
• The largest town in Ladakh is Leh.
• The second largest town in Ladakh is Kargil.
• The famous Indus, Nubra, and Shyok river valleys are found in Ladakh.
• After the Government of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act in 2019, Ladakh was carved out as a separate union territory.
• Muslims are the majority in Ladakh, they constitute 46% of the population.
• Buddhists are 40% of the population, and Hindus are 12% of the population of Ladakh.
• Ladakh is bordered by the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, Tibet Autonomous Region to the east.

8. Jammu and Kashmir

• On 31 October 2019, Jammu & Kashmir was removed from its status as a state and converted into a union territory.
• Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and was designated as a separate union territory.
• The literacy rate of the union territory is 67.16%.
• The most important languages of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir are Hindi, English, Dogri, and Kashmiri.
• The economy of Jammu and Kashmir is mainly dependent on agriculture.
• Major agricultural exports from Jammu and Kashmir include apples, pears, cherries, plums, saffron and walnuts.
• Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir is known as the ‘land of sapphire and saffron’.

Constitutional Provisions for Union Territories of India

• 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 fulfil 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.
• Under Article 240, the President may enact laws to ensure the safety, development, and effective administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, 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 of Union Territory in 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.
• Lakshadweep 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 center.
• 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.

Difference between State and Union Territory of India

Union Territories of India 2024

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, except 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.

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