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Post Independence Consolidation And Reorganisation Within The Country For UPSC!

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After independence in 1947, India witnessed significant steps towards post independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country. The leaders of free India faced enormous challenges in building a strong and united nation out of the diverse regions and princely states of the subcontinent. 

Let us learn about post independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country in this article for the UPSC IAS exam and UPSC History Optional exam.

Post-Independence Consolidation of Indian States

India got freedom from British rule in 1947. At that time, there were 562 princely states in India. The native Indian rulers ruled these princely states. The British entered treaties with these Indian rulers and allowed them to govern their states. After independence, the Indian government had to integrate all these princely states into the Indian Union. Integrating the princely states is known as the consolidation of states in India.

The Process of Integration

The Indian government followed three main approaches to integrate the princely states into India.

  1. The princely states with a common border with India and agreed to join the Indian Union were directly integrated. These states signed the Instrument of Accession and became a part of India.
  2. For the larger princely states, separate agreements were signed. These states' rulers were given special privileges for a certain period.
  3. The remaining princely states were grouped into different administrative units. The rulers of these states were given cash awards and pensions in return for merging their states with the Indian Union.

After following these three approaches, all the princely states were finally integrated into the Indian Union by 1949.

Some Key Princely States

  • Hyderabad: It was the largest and most populous princely state. It signed the Instrument of Accession in 1948 after Military action by India.
  • Junagadh: It acceded to Pakistan but India annexed it after a plebiscite.
  • Jammu and Kashmir: It signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947 and became a part of India but with some special status.
  • Travancore-Cochin: It signed the Instrument of Accession in 1949 and became a part of Kerala state.
  • Bhopal: The nawab of Bhopal signed the Instrument of Accession in 1949, and the state was integrated with Madhya Pradesh.

Kashmir Issue

Jammu and Kashmir is the only princely state whose accession and integration remain disputed between India and Pakistan.

The main points of contention are:

  1. India claims that Jammu and Kashmir legally acceded to India in 1947, and the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession.
  2. Pakistan claims that the accession is illegal as the people of Kashmir were not given the referendum to decide whether they wanted to join India or Pakistan.

Challenges In The Process Of Integration

Consolidating princely states into the Indian Union was a long and complex process. It posed certain challenges to the leaders of the new nation:

  • The attitude of rulers - Some rulers were unwilling to join Indian Union and insisted on staying independent. They had to be convinced through negotiations.
  • Boundary disputes - Many states had border disputes with their neighbours, leading to tensions during integration.
  • Administrative complexity- Each princely state had its own administrative setup, rules and regulations. These had to be aligned according to the Indian system.
  • Financial issues - The financial resources and budgeting of states were different. They had to be integrated into the Indian financial system.
  • Security threats - Some larger princely states posed security threats during the initial integration phases.

Despite all these challenges, the political unity and vision of India's leaders and bureaucracy helped successfully consolidate princely states into the Indian Union. This laid a strong foundation for India's nation-building after independence.

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Reorganisation Of Indian States: Formation Of Indian States After Independence

The consolidation of princely states into the Indian Union after independence led to the need for reorganising the administrative units of India. The constitution mandated the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. This led to the formation of linguistic states that matched the language of the majority population.

The first state reorganisation commission was set up in 1953 under the chairmanship of Fazl Ali. This commission proposed the formation of certain linguistic states like Andhra, Kannada and Tamil Nadu. But its recommendations were implemented only in 1956.

The First Reorganisation, 1956

The States Reorganisation Act 1956 was a major milestone in the reorganisation of Indian states. The main highlights are:

  • Andhra Pradesh was formed by merging Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad state with the Andhra region of Madras Presidency.
  • Karnataka was carved out of the Bombay and Madras Presidencies for Kannada speakers.
  • Kerala was formed by merging the Malayalam-speaking regions of the princely state of Travancore-cochin and the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency.
  • Punjab was split into a Punjabi-speaking state and a Hindi-speaking Haryana.
  • The North-East region was reorganised, and Himachal Pradesh became a union territory.

The language-based reorganisation of 1956 led to the formation of states that matched the linguistic identities of people. This helped strengthen cultural unity and administrative efficacy.

The Second Reorganisation, 1960

The second phase of reorganisation happened in the 1960s. This led to the formation of more states based on language:

  • Bihar was split, and the tribal-dominated areas were made into a separate state of Jharkhand.
  • Manipur and Tripura, which were union territories, were made full-fledged states.
  • Meghalaya was carved out of Assam for the Khasi and Garo speakers.
  • Gujarat was split from the bilingual state of Bombay for Gujarati speakers.
  • Uttar Pradesh was reorganised, and Uttaranchal (Uttarakhand) was carved out for the Kumaoni and Garhwali speakers.

The third state reorganisation commission was set up in 1983 under Karunakaran, but its recommendations were not implemented due to political reasons.

Pros And Cons Of The Reorganisation

The reorganisation based on language had both positives and challenges:

Pros:

  • It reduced linguistic tensions and led to the cultural development of linguistic groups.
  • The administrative structure could be tailored according to the unique needs of linguistic groups.
  • The development of language-based media and literature witnessed a boost.

Cons:

  • It led to the division of regions and the separation of economically integrated areas.
  • There were border disputes and tensions between some of the reorganised states.
  • The smaller states faced administrative and financial difficulties in the initial stages.
  • It led to the rise of sub-nationalist tendencies and identity politics in some states.

Language Problems In Some States

The reorganisation on a linguistic basis left some states with a language problem:

  • Punjab- The Hindi-speaking regions of Punjab went to Haryana, leading to anxiety in Punjabi-dominant Punjab.
  • Bihar - The separation of Jharkhand led to tension between tribal and non-tribal populations in Bihar.
  • Maharashtra - The linguistic division of Bombay state led to the rise of the pro-Maharashtra movement in border areas of Karnataka and Gujarat.
  • North East - The reorganisation of NE states left some tribes divided between states.

Despite its limitations, the linguistic reorganisation of Indian states played an important role in strengthening the regional identities of people. It also facilitated better governance and the development of various linguistic groups in post-independent India. However, a balanced approach is required to deal with the language problem in some states and maintain national unity and integrity.

Other Factors

India's economy was in poor shape. There was a lot of poverty, unemployment and a lack of necessary goods. The government took steps to make the economy better. Steps were taken to increase farming and factory making. Plans were made to build more basic structures.

  • India's constitution came into force on 26 January 1950. It provided a democratic way and told about citizens' basic rights and duties. But there was a lot of illiteracy against the principles of the constitution. The government took steps for education, equality and social justice.
  • Fights between religions, castes and regions were high after the split. The new government had to work hard to promote the unity of the country and the togetherness of religions. Steps were taken to remove differences based on caste, religion, gender and religion.
  • Corruption and bad government were big issues. Government service became more systematic and open to reduce corruption. Attempts were made to improve the administration's ability and give public services.
  • Staying neutral in foreign policy allowed India to have good relations with big powers during the cold war. This gave India more say in world politics. India also took an active role in forming the non-aligned movement.
  • Growing science and technology were promoted. More funds were given. Scientific and research institutions were set up in different fields. This led to faster technology growth and self-reliance in future.
  • The constitution gave the right to education to all citizens. But the literacy rate was very low. The government started programs to make all primary, adult, and higher education common. This led to a rise in literacy and skilled workers.

Conclusion

The early years saw post independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country. Challenges of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, religious tensions and corruption were addressed through policy changes and making organizations. This time laid the base for a self-dependent and united India. Though many problems were faced in this phase, the leaders showed determination and vision to join and make the young Indian nation strong.

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More Articles for IAS Preparation

Post Independence Consolidation And Reorganisation Within The Country FAQs

The first task was to unite all the princely states and integrate them into the Indian union. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a key role in this.

States were reorganised based on language in 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act.

The government launched programs to promote universal primary education, adult literacy and spread of higher education to improve literacy rates.

India adopted a policy of non-alignment and neutrality in foreign policy during the cold war era.

The government took steps to increase agricultural and industrial production. Plans were made for infrastructure development to revive the economy.
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