Foundation Day of Indian States and UTs, History, Significance

Q: What is the Foundation Day of Delhi?

Delhi celebrates its Foundation Day on February 1, commemorating its formation as a Union Territory in 1956.

Q: When is Chandigarh Foundation Day celebrated?

Chandigarh Foundation Day is observed on November 1, marking its creation as a Union Territory in 1966.

Q: When was Andaman and Nicobar Islands formed?

Andaman and Nicobar Islands were established as a Union Territory on November 1, 1956.

Q: When was Lakshadweep declared a Union Territory?

Lakshadweep became a Union Territory on November 1, 1956, after being separated from Madras Presidency.

Q: What is the Foundation Day of Puducherry?

Puducherry celebrates its Foundation Day on August 16, marking the de facto transfer of French territories to India in 1962.

Table of Contents☰

After India gained independence in 1947, the country had 562 princely states. Most of these eventually accepted to become a part of the Indian Union. Over time, many of them were reorganised into new administrative states. A major shift occurred with the States Reorganization Act of 1956, which restructured Indian states based primarily on linguistic basis. Each state and union territory has its formation dates which is essential for every aspirant who is planning to appear in any competitive exam. The article shared below discusses the Foundation Day of Indian States and UTs.

Formation of Indian States and Union Territories

The Formation of Indian States and Union Territories began after independence in 1947. The country comprised over 565 princely states and 17 provinces, which were integrated into the Indian Union under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his secretary, V.P. Menon, by 1948. When the Constitution was being drafted in 1949, the First Schedule categorized the Indian territory into four parts:

Part A: Former Governor’s Provinces
Part B: Former Princely States or their groupings
Part C: Territories administered by Chief Commissioners appointed by the President
Part D: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

States Reorganization Act of 1956

State Reorganization Act of 1956 was introduced to determine the boundaries of each princely state to safeguard the diversity of each linguistic identity especially after Andhra was carved out in 1953 for Telugu-speaking people. The States Reorganization Act reorganized the country into 14 states and 6 union territories, replacing the older classification under Parts A, B, C, and D of the Constitution.

States Reorganization Act of 1956
States	Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madras (renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969), Madhya Pradesh, Mysore (renamed as Karnataka in 1973), Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Union Territories	Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Manipur, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands.

List of Foundation Day of Indian States

The formation of Indian states has been an evolving process over the years. The table below includes the List of Foundation Day of Indian States in chronological order.

List of Foundation Day of Indian States
State Name	Formation Date	Formed By	Previous Status	Significance
Andhra Pradesh	1 November 1953	Linguistic Reorganization	Part of Madras State	First linguistic state
Karnataka	1 November 1956	States Reorganization Act (SRA 1956)	Part of Mysore State	Created to incorporate Kannada-speaking areas.
Kerala	1 November 1956	SRA 1956	Part of Travancore-Cochin	Unified several regions for the Malayali population.
Maharashtra	1 May 1960	Bombay Reorganisation Act	Part of Bombay State	Established for Marathi speakers following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement
Gujarat	1 May 1960	Bombay Reorganisation Act	Part of Bombay State	Formed from Gujarati-speaking areas due to the Mahagujarat movement
Nagaland	1 December 1963	Nagaland Act	Part of Assam	Recognized the rights of the Naga people and their unique culture
Punjab	1 November 1966	Punjab Reorganisation Act	Part of Punjab State	Created to represent Punjabi-speaking populations after the Punjabi Suba movement
Haryana	1 November 1966	Punjab Reorganisation Act	Part of Punjab State	Established to cater to Hindi-speaking residents in the former Punjab region.
Himachal Pradesh	25 January 1971	Himachal Pradesh Act	Union territory till 1971	Recognized the distinct cultural identity of the region establishing a full-fledged state
Manipur	21 January 1972	North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971	Union Territory	Acknowledged the aspirations of the Manipuri people
Meghalaya	21 January 1972	North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971	Union Territory	Cater to Garo and Khasi ethnic groups
Tripura	21 January 1972	North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971	Union Territory	Recognized the rights and identity of the Tripuri people
Sikkim	16 May 1975	Constitution (36th Amendment) Act of 1975	Formerly a Kingdom	Grant statehood to the “associate state” of Sikkim after referendum
Mizoram	20 February 1987	Mizoram Accord	Union Territory	Established to address ethnic identity and local governance issues
Arunachal Pradesh	20 February 1987	Arunachal Pradesh Act 1986	Union Territory	Converted the North-East Frontier Agency into the state due to strategic importance
Goa	30 May 1987	Goa, Daman, and Diu Reorganisation Act	Union Territory	Achieved statehood after liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961
Jharkhand	15 November 2000	Bihar Reorganisation Act	Part of Bihar	Addressed local governance challenges and development issues.
Chhattisgarh	1 November 2000	Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act	Part of Madhya Pradesh	Aimed at improving local administration and addressing regional disparities.
Uttarakhand	9 November 2000	Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act	Part of Uttar Pradesh	Address unique developmental needs in the Uttaranchal region.
Telangana	2 June 2014	Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act	Part of Andhra Pradesh	Established after a long struggle for identity and self-governance.

List of Foundation Day of Indian Union Territory

Union Territories (UTs) in India are administrative divisions governed directly by the Central Government, unlike states which have their own elected governments. These territories were established based on factors such as administrative efficiency, strategic importance, and cultural uniqueness. The table below is the List of Foundation Day of Indian Union Territory:

List of Foundation Day of Indian Union Territory
Union Territories	Formation Date	Formed By	Status Before Foundation
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	1 November 1956	States Reorganisation Act of 1956	Previously British-controlled territory later Part D state
Delhi	1 November 1956	SRA of 1956	Part C state in the first schedule of the Indian Constitution
Lakshadweep	1 November 1956	SRA of 1956	Part of Madras state
Chandigarh	1 November 1966	Punjab Reorganisation Act	Part of the East Punjab
Puducherry	1 July 1963	Integration of French Territories	Formerly French colonies
Jammu & Kashmir	31 October 2019	Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act	Formerly a special state with autonomy
Ladakh	31 October 2019	Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act	Previously part of Jammu & Kashmir
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	26 January 2020	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Act, 2019	Separate UTs of Daman and Diu (30 May 1987) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (11 August 1961)