🇮🇳 Union & Its Territory (Articles 1 to 4) – Explained in Simple Words for UPSC

🌍 1. What does "Union & its Territory" Mean?

Union means the whole of India — all states and union territories together.
Territory means the physical land over which India has power — like states, UTs, and areas India may get in future.
Basically, it tells us about the structure and boundary of India.

📜 2. Articles in Part I of the Constitution

There are 4 Articles (Article 1 to Article 4) under Part I of the Constitution.

Let’s understand them one by one:

🇮🇳 3. Article 1 – Name and Territory of the Union

India is called India or Bharat.
India is a Union of States (not a federation like USA).
States and Union Territories are listed in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
India's territory includes:
1. States (like UP, Kerala)
2. Union Territories (like Delhi, Ladakh)
3. Any land India gets in future (like Goa joined later)

🧠 Why Union, not Federation?
Because Indian states didn’t sign any treaty to join India. They can't leave India. So India is indestructible, even if states change.

🏞️ 4. Article 2 – Adding New States (From Outside India)

Parliament can make new states that are outside India, like if India joins any foreign region.
Example: When Sikkim became part of India.

🏔️ 5. Article 2A – Sikkim Special Case

In 1975, through 36th Amendment, Sikkim became a full state of India.
It was earlier a protectorate (not fully Indian).

🧭 6. Article 3 – Changing Internal Map of India

Parliament has power to:

Create a new state (like Telangana in 2014)
Increase or decrease size of a state
Change boundary or name of a state
Merge or split states

✋ Conditions:

President must take permission first.
State legislature should give opinion.
Parliament can then pass it with simple majority.

Important: Even if state says no, Parliament can still go ahead.

🛠️ 7. Article 4 – Technical Details

Article 2 and 3 changes are not constitutional amendments, so no need of 2/3rd majority.
Only simple majority in Parliament is enough.
Also, Parliament can make changes in First Schedule (states list) and Fourth Schedule (Rajya Sabha seat allocation).

🧾 8. State vs Union Territory – Simple Difference

Feature	State	Union Territory
Has its own govt?	Yes, elected govt	Mostly ruled by Centre
CM and Assembly?	Yes	Only Delhi & Puducherry
Governor or LG?	Governor	LG or Administrator
Makes laws?	Yes	Limited powers

🗺️ 9. State Reorganization Act, 1956 – Big Change

Before 1956, India had many princely states and odd boundaries.
In 1956, states were reorganized by language.
From 27 states → only 14 states were made.
Some new ones were:
- Andhra Pradesh
- Kerala
- Madhya Pradesh
- Mysore (now Karnataka)
- Punjab, Rajasthan, etc.

🧱 10. New States Formed After 1956

After 1956, Parliament passed new laws to:
- Make new states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana
- Divide states like Uttar Pradesh → Uttarakhand

🧑‍⚖️ 11. Berubari Union Case, 1960 – Important Judgment

India wanted to give Berubari area in West Bengal to Pakistan.
Supreme Court said: You can't just give Indian land away with simple law.
You need to do constitutional amendment (Article 368) for that.
So, 9th Amendment Act was passed.

🏞️ 12. Recent Changes in Indian Territory

Jammu & Kashmir was divided into two Union Territories:
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Ladakh
  (Under J&K Reorganisation Act 2019)
Puducherry was renamed (earlier called Pondicherry).
Daman & Diu + Dadra & Nagar Haveli were merged in 2020.

🏛️ 13. Key Takeaways for UPSC

Articles 1 to 4 deal with India’s union and its territory.
Parliament has power to add, split, rename or reshape states and UTs.
India is a Union, not just a group of states. States can’t break away.
Article 3 is most powerful for changing internal map of India.
Union Territories are directly controlled by Centre.
Special Provisions exist for some states (like J&K before 2019, Northeast under Article 371).
Changes in India's map need to respect sovereignty and national interest.

🔚 Conclusion (Simple Words)

India’s Constitution gives Parliament strong power to keep the country united and well-organized. It can create or remove states as per need. But the main goal is to make sure India stays strong, united, and peaceful, even if changes happen in its map.

FAQs

❓ Q1. What is meant by "Union of States"?

Ans.
"Union of States" means that India is not just a collection of states but a single nation where states are joined together permanently. Unlike USA, Indian states can't leave the country. India is one strong union.

❓ Q2. Why is India called a "Union" and not a "Federation"?

Ans.
Because in India, the states didn’t sign any agreement to form the country. The Constitution itself created the union. So, India is a union by law, not by agreement. States can't break away.

❓ Q3. Which articles are related to Union and its territory?

Ans.
Articles 1 to 4 in Part I of the Indian Constitution:

Article 1: Name and territory of India
Article 2: Admission of new states
Article 2A: Sikkim's special case
Article 3: Internal changes like new state, boundary change
Article 4: Technical rules to update First & Fourth Schedules

❓ Q4. Can Parliament create a new state?

Ans.
Yes, under Article 3, Parliament can:

Create a new state
Change borders or name of a state
Merge or divide states

But first, the President must give permission, and the state’s opinion is taken (not mandatory to agree).

❓ Q5. What was the Berubari Union case about?

Ans.
India wanted to give part of West Bengal (Berubari) to Pakistan. Supreme Court said, you can't give Indian land away by just a simple law. You must do a constitutional amendment under Article 368. So, govt passed 9th Amendment Act.

❓ Q6. What is the First Schedule of the Constitution?

Ans.
It lists all the states and union territories of India. If there is any change in number, size, or name of states/UTs, then First Schedule must be updated.

❓ Q7. What’s the difference between State and Union Territory?

Ans.

State	Union Territory
Has its own government	Mostly ruled by Central Govt
Has Chief Minister	LG or Administrator works here
Can make laws independently	Limited powers
Eg: Maharashtra, Kerala	Eg: Delhi, Ladakh, Puducherry

❓ Q8. What is Article 4?

Ans.
Article 4 tells that:

Changes made under Article 2 & 3 are not considered amendments, so no need for 2/3rd majority.
Only simple majority in Parliament is enough to change territory.

❓ Q9. What was the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019?

Ans.
In 2019, govt removed special status of Jammu & Kashmir and divided it into:

Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir
Union Territory of Ladakh

Earlier J&K was a full state.

❓ Q10. How many states and union territories are in India (as of now)?

Ans.
🗓️ As of June 2025:

28 States
8 Union Territories