UPSC Mains 2022 GS1 Q11 — Post-Independence Consolidation
The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has heen a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples. (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Discuss
- Scope keywords
- political and administrative reorganizationstates and territoriescontinuous ongoing processsince the mid-nineteenth century
- Implicit sub-parts
- Colonial-era administrative consolidations for imperial utility (1850s to 1947)
- Post-independence linguistic and political integration (1947-1960s)
- Ethnic and tribal-based reorganization in the North East
- Recent 21st-century shifts including development-led bifurcations and security-driven UT status changes
- Analysis of why the process is 'continuous' rather than a one-time event
- Common pitfalls
- Starting the answer from 1947/1956 and ignoring the pre-independence 'mid-nineteenth century' requirement
- Focusing only on linguistic reorganization (State Reorganisation Act) while ignoring recent UT transitions like Ladakh/J&K
- Describing 'what' happened without discussing the 'why' (administrative convenience vs. political aspiration)
- Neglecting the shift from colonial 'provinces' to democratic 'federal units'
- Failing to mention the constitutional mechanism (Article 3) that allows this continuity
- Dimensions required
- Colonial HistoryConstitutional/LegalLinguistic and CulturalGeopolitical/Internal SecurityDevelopmental/Administrative Efficiency
- Marks allocation hint
Devote approximately 50 words to the colonial phase (1858-1947) to establish the timeline. Spend 150 words on the evolution from the integration of princely states to linguistic movements and tribal identity. Use the final 50 words to discuss modern trends like the creation of Telangana and the reorganization of J&K, concluding with the flexible nature of Article 3.
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