State Reorganization Act 1956 GK + Notes: Articles 2 to 4 of the Constitution deal with the formation and reorganization of Indian states. By enacting laws, the power to form or reorganize new states (change of size/change of boundaries/name change/division of a state into two states/merging of two states) is vested in the Constitution by Parliament (Article 3).
This article “State Reorganization Act 1956” provides a basic general knowledge and key points. State Reorganization Act 1956 General Knowledge Notes for UPSC, IAS, Railway, Banking, Police, Public Service Commission, WBCS and other competitive government job examinations.
History of Reorganization of States
The Linguistic Provinces Commission (aka Dhar Commission) was formed in 1948 under the leadership of SK Dhar to determine the policy for the reorganization of the states of India. In December 1948, the JVP Committee was formed for the same purpose under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Patravi Sitaramaiah.
In 1952, Potti Sriramulu died after a 56-day hunger strike demanding the creation of a separate state for Telugu-speaking Indians. As a result, Telangana was formed on 2 June 2014. Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956 (in defiance of the Dhar Commission’s and JVP Committee’s report prohibiting the formation of states on the basis of language), making it the first state in India to be formed on the basis of language.
- In 1956, the Parliament of India passed the State Reorganization Act which divided India into 14 states and 6 Union Territories based on language.
- In 1960, the state of Bombay was split into two states – Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- Through the 10th Amendment to the Constitution in 1960, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were given the status of Union Territories after being added to India. They were Portuguese possessions earlier.
- In 1962, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution gave Goa, Daman and Diu the status of Union Territories, freeing them from Portuguese rule.
- Also in 1962, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution made Nagaland a separate state.
- In 1966, the Punjab Reconstruction Act was passed based on the report of the Shah Commission. Through this Act, Punjab was divided into two states – Punjab and Haryana. A new Union Territory of Chandigarh was also formed at the same time.
- The new state of Meghalaya was formed in 1969 after some areas of Assam gained independence. In 1971, the Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh became its own governing body.
- Sikkim was recognized as an official part of India in 1975.
- Mizoram in 1986, Arunachal Pradesh in 1987, and Goa in 1987 all broke off as separate states from their Union Territory status.
- During the year 2000, the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and the Northern Territory were created within India’s borders.
- Today within India there exists 28 States and 9 Union Territories.
Also Read: Comptroller and Auditor General of India
How did the Reorganization Act divide India?
- Andhra Pradesh: This state appeared by joining Hyderabad’s Telugu-speaking areas to Andhra state.
- Assam: In later years, Assam split into Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.
- Bihar: Some small territories were given to West Bengal, reducing Bihar’s area.
- Bombay state: Some districts of Bombay presidency moved to Mysore state. Yet, Bombay state grew by accepting the Marathi-speaking Berar and Nagpur Divisions. Parts of Saurashtra state, Kutch state, and Marathwada from Hyderabad state were included too.
- Jammu and Kashmir: The boundary of this state remained stable in 1956.
- Kerala: Travancore-Cochin state merged with parts of Madras. This included Malabar district and Kasaragod taluk, creating Kerala.
- Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh grew by joining Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, and Bhopal State. Marathi-speaking districts from Nagpur Division went to Bombay State.
- Madras states: Growth occurred in the Madras states by adding Sengottai Taluk and Kanyakumari district. Parts of Travancore Cochin joined too. But, the Malabar district went to the new Kerala state.
- Mysore state: Mysore expanded by joining with Coorg state. It took in Kannada-speaking regions from western Madras Presidency, southern Bombay Presidency, and western Hyderabad state.
- Orissa: The borders of this state remained the same.
- Punjab: The Patiala and East Punjab States Union areas were added to Punjab to make it bigger.
- Rajasthan: The Ajmer state region, parts of Bombay, and areas of the Madhya Pradesh States were included in Rajasthan.
- Uttar Pradesh: No changes were made to the borders of this state in 1956.
- West Bengal: The Purulia district of old Bihar was added to West Bengal.
Statutory provisions relating to size/boundaries/name change and formation of new states:
Changes to the size, borders, and names of states can be suggested in either of the Houses of Parliament, but the President‘s approval is necessary.
If a law proposal that alters a state’s names and borders reaches Parliament via the President, he then guides the Legislature to share their thoughts on it. The involved assembly has a certain time to voice their opinion. If they want more time, the President can grant that.
Suppose a certain legislature misses their deadline to provide feedback on a proposed law. That law is considered approved by the delayed responding legislature. If the required Legislature Assembly shares their input within the set time, Parliament has full power to accept or disregard their suggestions partially or fully. Once a law is enacted, later proposals to change it don’t have to involve the relevant legislature or demand their viewpoint.
Like any other general law, the law on change of name/boundary/size of a state is passed by a simple majority in both the Houses of Parliament.
In the case of the State Name / Boundary / Size Change Act, it is necessary to give the opportunity to the concerned Legislative Assembly to express their views.
Also Read: Planning Commission
Important Facts on Restructuring of the States of India
Here are some important facts about the formation/restructuring of the states of India:
1. India is a union of states, not the united states. India is detailed in Article 1 of its Constitution. It’s interesting to note, the Constitution’s creators did not specifically use ‘United States’. Why? The U.S. states agreed to unite, forming the United States. This interesting detail means states could, technically, choose to leave the U.S. and declare independence.
2. “Union of States” is mentioned in Article 1 of the Indian Constitution. This term refers to Indian States collectively. However, it doesn’t encompass the Union Territories of India. When you hear “Indian Territory,” it is talking about both the Indian States and the Union Territories combined.
3. According to Article 370 in the Indian Constitution, any changes to the size, boundaries, or name of Jammu and Kashmir can’t be brought to Parliament without agreement from the State Legislature. The rules for modifying names, boundaries, or sizes of Indian States apply universally, except for Jammu and Kashmir. But, as of 2019, the Indian government abolished Article 370. A detailed fact about the abolition of 370 and 35a is discussed here.