Union Territories of India 2022: India is a union of states, and each state has its own government. A union territory is a kind of administrative division in India that's ruled directly by the Union government (Central Government). The President is the constitutional head of the Executive of the Union. Union territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him/her. Union territories of India have special rights and status because of their special process of formation and development. The status of "Union Territory" is assigned to an Indian sub-division to help protect the rights of indigenous cultures, prevent political turmoil related to matters of governance, and so on.
Union Territories of India 2022
The Union Territories of India are run by the Central Government. There is a Lieutenant Governor who is appointed by the President and responsible to the President of India. Union Territories have no representation in the Rajya Sabha, except for Delhi and Puducherry. Each Administrator of a Union Territory has his own specific responsibilities, which are separate from the responsibilities of the other Administrators in other Union Territories. Union Territories are further sub-divided into smaller administrative blocks for effective governance. Villages form the smallest area of administration. Each village has a representative administrative Gram Panchayat. A Gram Panchayat may have administrative control of a number of villages.
8 Union Territories in India
India, a union of states, is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government. The President is the constitutional head of the Executive of the Union. The Union territories are notionally administered by the representative of the Indian President. There are 8 Union territories in India. From the largest to the smallest, each UT of India has a unique demography, history and culture, dress, festivals, language etc. This section introduces you to the various UTs in the Country and urges you to explore their uniqueness:
Union Territories of India
There are 8 Union territories in India. The list for Union Territories of India 2022 is given below:
1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
2. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
3. Chandigarh
4. Lakshadweep
5. Puducherry
6. Delhi
7. Ladakh
8. Jammu and Kashmir
1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 8,249 sq. km |
| Population | 4 lakh (approx) |
| Capital | Port Blair |
| Languages | Hindi, Nicobarese, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu |
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in the middle of the world. They are made up of two groups of islands - the Andaman Group, which are north of 10 degrees latitude, and the Nicobar Group, which are south of 10 degrees latitude. The climate of the islands is warm, humid, and tropical. The islands get rain from both the southwest and northeast monsoons. The most rain falls between May and December.
The original people who live on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands originally lived in the forests and hunted and fished. There are four different tribes of Native Americans living on these islands, the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese. There are also two different Mongoloid tribes living on these islands, the Nicobarese and Shompens.
2. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 491 sq km |
| Population | 4 Lakhs (Approx) |
| Capital | Silvassa |
| Languages | Gujarati, Hindi |
Recently the Daman and Diu is merged into Dadar and Nagar Haweli to form a single Union Territory i.e., Dadar and Nagar Haweli. From 1954 till 1961, the territory functioned almost independently by what was known as " Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administration ". However, the territory was merged with the Indian Union on 11 August, 1961, and since then, is being administered by the Government of India as a Union Territory.
3. Lakshadweep
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 32 sq. km |
| Population | 64,429 ( Approx ) |
| Capital | Kavaratti |
| Principal Languages | Malayalam, Jeseri (Dweep Bhasha) and Mahal |
Not much is known about the early history of these islands. It is the smallest Union Territory of India. The islands that were supposed to have been inhabited first are Amini, Andrott, Kavaratti, and Agatti. It was earlier believed that the islanders were originally Hindus, and later converted to Islam under the influence of Arab traders, sometime in the 14th century. In 1956, the islands were constituted into a single territory, and since then, have been directly administered by the Union Government through an Administrator. The Laccadives, Minicoy and Amindivi group of islands were renamed as Lakshadweep in 1973. Lakshadweep, a group of coral islands consist of 12 atolls, three reefs and submerged sand banks. Of the 27 islands, only 11 are inhabited. These lie scattered in the Arabian Sea about 280 km to 480 km off Kerala coast.
4. Puducherry
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 479 sq km |
| Population | 12,44,464 (Approx) |
| Capital | Puducherry |
| Principal Languages | Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French |
The Territory (Puducherry) includes the former French factories of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, scattered throughout southern India. Pondicherry, the territory's capital, was once the original seat of the French in India. It was under French rule for 138 years and joined the Union of India on November 1, 1954. It borders the Bay of Bengal on the east and Tamil Nadu on three sides. About 150 km south of Pondicherry on the east coast is Karaikal.Mahé is located on the Malabar Coast in the Western Ghats, surrounded by Kerala. It is accessible from Calicut Airport, which is 70 km from Mahé. Yanam is located near East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and about 200 km from Visakhapatnam Airport.
5. NCT of Delhi
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 1,483 sq. km |
| Population | 1,67,53,235 (Approx) |
| Capital | Delhi |
| Principal Languages | Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu & English |
Delhi has made clear allusions to the Mahabharata epic. Their control passed from one ruler/dynasty to another, beginning with the Mauryans, Pallavas, Guptas in central India, then the Turks and Afghans from the 13th to 15th centuries and finally the Mughals in the 16th century. British rule was established in Delhi in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1911, after the capital was moved from Calcutta in 1911, Delhi became the center of all activities. In 1956 it became a union territory.Located in the north of the country, Delhi is surrounded by Haryana on all sides except to the east where it borders Uttar Pradesh. The 69th constitutional amendment is a milestone in Delhi's history as it won the Legislative Assembly with the passage of the National Capital Territory Act in 1991.
6. Chandigarh
| Particulars | Description |
| Area | 114 sq km |
| Population | 10,54,686 (Approx) |
| Capital | Chandigarh |
| Principal Languages | Hindi, Punjabi, English |
Chandigarh is a fully grown town of most modern architectural splendour. The city nestles in a picturesque setting in the foothills of Shivalik hills and enjoys the popular epithet the "City Beautiful". Representative of modern architecture and town planning, the city is a creation of the French Architect, Le Corbusier. Chandigarh and the area surrounding it were constituted as a Union Territory on 1 November 1966. It serves as the joint capital of both Punjab and Haryana States. It is bound on North and West by Punjab and on the East and South by Haryana.
7. Ladakh
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31st October 2019. The Union Territory of Ladakh comprises two districts namely Leh and Kargil. It is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and distinct culture. The UT of Ladakh shall comprise of two districts namely Leh and Kargil.
Leh District:
1. Sub-Divisions: 6
2. Tehsils: 8
3. Blocks: 16
4. Panchayat: 95
5. Villages: 113
Kargil District:
1. Sub-Divisions: 4
2. Tehsils: 7
3. Blocks: 15
4. Panchayat: 98
5. Villages: 130
8. Jammu and Kashmir
| Union Territories | India |
| Capital | Jammu ( winter ), Srinagar ( summer ) |
| Area | 222,236 sq.km |
| Languages | Urdu, Dogri, Kashmiri, Pahari, Ladakhi, Balti, Gojri and Dari |
How do Delhi and Puducherry have other systems than the other Union Territories?
In India, all the states and two union territories, i.e. Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir possess elected legislature.
Out of total eight union territories in India, two U.T. i.e., Delhi, and Puducherry, have their elected assembly, as these are granted with partial statehood, by an amendment to the Constitution.
Delhi and Puducherry have their own legislative assembly and executive council and operate like states. They have few subject of State list with them and a few lies with the centre.
Indian Union Territories History
During the discussion on re-organisation of states in 1956, the States Re-organisation Commission recommended creation of a different category for these territories since they neither fit the model of a state nor do they follow a uniform pattern when it comes to governance. It was observed that these economically unbalanced, financially weak, and administratively and politically unstable territories can’t survive as separate administrative units without depending heavily on the Union government. Considering all the reasons union territory was formed. Andaman and Nicobar island was the first union territory of India, Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana state of India. Recently the Jammu and Kashmir state is bifurcated into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories while the Dadar and Nagar Haweli is merged with Daman and Diu.
