With the government of India’s decision to bifurcate the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, the political map of the country got a little modification. On 31st October 2019, two more union territories- Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh came into existence, making the total number of states and union territories in India 28 and 9 respectively, which was earlier 29 states and 7 UTs.
Before 31st October, these were the 7 UTs of India:
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands (capital: Port Blair)
- Chandigarh (capital: Chandigarh)
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli (capital: Silvassa)
- Daman and Diu (capital: Daman)
- Delhi (capital: New Delhi)
- Lakshadweep (capital: Kavaratti)
- Puducherry (capital: Pondicherry)
Let’s have a detailed outlook of the two newly-formed union territories in India
1. Jammu and Kashmir
Capital: Srinagar (summer) and Jammu (winter)
In the updated map of India released by the Ministry of Home, the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is located in the northern part of Punjab state, south and west of Ladakh, and north-west of Himachal Pradesh. The UT is divided into 22 districts. Home to some of the most beautiful valleys and lakes, Jammu and Kashmir is known as a paradise on the earth.
2. Ladakh
Capital: Leh
The northern and eastern parts of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir are included in the union territory of Ladakh. The literal meaning of the term ‘Ladakh’ is the land of high passes. Located in the Himalayan region, Ladakh is known for its breathtaking sceneries, snow-laden mountains, and trekking beauty. Being a center of Buddhism in India, Ladakh is home to a number of incredible monasteries.
How many states does India have?
After the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 came into action, the total number of states in India dropped to 28. Here is the list of Indian states along with their capitals.
- Andhra Pradesh (capital: Amravati)
- Arunachal Pradesh (capital: Itanagar)
- Assam (capital: Dispur)
- Bihar (capital: Patna)
- Chhattisgarh (capital: Raipur)
- Goa (capital: Panaji)
- Gujarat (capital: Gandhinagar)
- Haryana (capital: Chandigarh)
- Himachal Pradesh (capital: Shimla & Dharamshala)
- Jharkhand (capital: Ranchi)
- Karnataka (capital: Bengaluru)
- Kerala (capital: Thiruvananthapuram)
- Madhya Pradesh (capital: Bhopal)
- Maharashtra (capital: Mumbai & Nagpur)
- Manipur (capital: Imphal)
- Meghalaya (capital: Shillong)
- Mizoram (capital: Aizwal)
- Nagaland (capital: Kohima)
- Odisha (capital: Bhubaneswar)
- Punjab (capital: Chandigarh)
- Rajasthan (capital: Jaipur)
- Sikkim (capital: Gangtok)
- Tamil Nadu (capital: Chennai)
- Telangana (capital: Hyderabad)
- Tripura (capital: Agartala)
- Uttar Pradesh (capital: Lucknow)
- Uttarakhand (capital: Dehradun)
- West Bengal (capital: Kolkata)
States vs. union territories
A state is defined as a constituent division having its own elected government while a UT is controlled directly by the union government of India. The union territories of Delhi and Puducherry are exceptions with having elected governments. States possess a federal relationship with the Indian government while UTs experience direct control from the central government.
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