Which article of the Indian Constitution states that India is a ‘Union of States'?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC GD Constable (2022) Official Paper (Held On : 01 Feb 2023 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Article1.

Key Points

According to Article 1, the territory of India can be classified into three categories:
- Territories of the states
- Union territories
- Territories that may be acquired by the Government of India at any time.
Article 1 of the Indian constitution:
- India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
The names of states and union territories and their territorial extent are mentioned in the first schedule of the Constitution.
The first Schedule contains:
- Names of the States and their territorial jurisdiction.
- Names of the Union Territories and their extent.
Notably, the ‘Territory of India’ is a wider expression than the ‘Union of India’ because the latter includes only states while the former includes not only the states but also union territories and territories that may be acquired by the Government of India at any future time.

Additional Information

Article 2 of the Indian Constitution deals with the admission or establishment of new states in the Union of India.
- It provides for the power of the Parliament to admit new states, or to establish new states by separating territory from any existing state or by merging two or more states or parts of states.
Article 10 of the Constitution deals with the power of the Parliament to make laws with respect to the reorganization of states.
- It provides that Parliament may by law admit new states into the Union, or establish new states by separating territory from any existing state or by merging two or more states or parts of states.
Article 11 of the Constitution provides for the power of the President to make certain modifications to the boundaries of states, subject to certain conditions and procedures.
- It states that the President may by order, after consultation with the Governor of the state concerned, make certain changes to the boundaries of any state or alter the name, area or boundaries of any Union territory.