How many States and Union Territories were established by the 1956, State Restructuring Act?
- (a)14 States, 6 Union Territories
- (b)18 States, 9 Union Territories
- (c)22 States, 8 Union Territories
- (d)21 States, 7 Union Territories
Correct — A, 14 States and 6 Union Territories. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (given effect by the 7th Constitutional Amendment) redrew India's internal map largely on linguistic lines, reducing the earlier Part A/B/C/D scheme to 14 States and 6 Union Territories.
- (b)18 States, 9 Union Territories — These totals do not match the 1956 reorganisation; the count then was 14 States and 6 UTs.
- (c)22 States, 8 Union Territories — Larger totals like these belong to much later decades after successive new states were carved out, not 1956.
- (d)21 States, 7 Union Territories — Not the 1956 figure; the Act created 14 States and 6 Union Territories.
Acting on the Fazl Ali (States Reorganisation) Commission of 1953-55, the States Reorganisation Act 1956 abolished the Part A/B/C/D classification and reorganised states mainly by language, yielding 14 States and 6 Union Territories.
Anchor the number to the year: 1956 -> 14 States + 6 UTs. Bigger numbers correspond to later reorganisations (Bombay split 1960, new states in 2000, Telangana 2014, etc.).
- States Reorganisation Act, 1956, implemented via the 7th Amendment.
- Based on the Fazl Ali Commission (1953-1955).
- Result: 14 States and 6 Union Territories.
- Ended the Part A/B/C/D state classification of 1950.
- Confusing the 1956 totals with the present number of states/UTs
- Forgetting the reorganisation was chiefly linguistic
'How many states/UTs did the 1956 Act create' — a fixed-figure fact (14 + 6).
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
- (a) States Reorganization Act : Andhra Pradesh
- (b) Treaty of Yandabu : Assam
- (c) State of Bilaspur : Himachal Pradesh
- (d) Year 1966 : Gujarat becomes a State
Answer(d) Year 1966 : Gujarat becomes a State (Gujarat was formed in 1960, not 1966)
UPSC 2006 pairs the States Reorganization Act with Andhra Pradesh — the same 1956 reorganisation process, testing state-formation dates.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was based on the recommendations of which commission?
- (a)Fazl Ali Commission
- (b)Dhar Commission
- (c)Sarkaria Commission
- (d)Punchhi Commission
Answer(a) The Fazl Ali (States Reorganisation) Commission.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The States Reorganisation of 1956 reorganised Indian states mainly on the basis of:
- (a)Language
- (b)Religion
- (c)River basins
- (d)Population size
Answer(a) Language (linguistic basis).