States and Union Territories of India – Class 3
We need government to run our country. Government looks after the needs needs, welfare and safety of the people of our country. The government provides order within a society by framing laws or rules.Government works for welfare of the society by building schools, roads, hospitals, railway stations, bus stand, airports and parks. They also provide basic services like potable drinking water, electricity, telephones, cooking gas, petrol and public transport system.
In India we have two types of governments – the Central Government and the State Government.
Central Government
The Central Government is the government of the whole country. It looks after the needs, welfare and safety of the people of the country. India is a Union of 29 States and 7 Union Territories. There is a Central Government and several State Governments. In India, the Central Government is based in New Delhi, the capital of India. The Central Government is also known as the Union Government. People of India choose the members of the Central Government. The President, Prime Minister and other ministers forms the Central Government.
Government of States and Union Territories
Our country India is divided into 29 smaller states. For a big country like India it is difficult for the Central Government to look after the needs and welfare of whole country by itself. Thus, our constitution provides for separate government for each states. Each state has its own government which looks after the welfare of the people of that state. People of the State choose the members of the State Government. The Governor, Chief Minister and other minister forms the State Government.
India has 7 Union Territories. These Union Territories are directly under the control of Central Government. To look after the Union Territories, the President of India appoints an administrator or Lieutenant-Governor for each Union Territories.
States of India and its Capital
| State | Capital | Main Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad (Amaravati proposed) | Telugu and Urdu |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | Apatani, Bangni, Tagin, Hills Miri, Galo, Adi |
| Assam | Dispur | Assamese, Bodo |
| Bihar | Patna (earlier known as Patliputra) | Hindi, Urdu, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magadhi |
| Chattisgarh | Raipur | Chhattisgarhi and Hindi |
| Goa | Panaji | Konkani and Marathi |
| Gujarat | Gandhinagar | Gujarati |
| Haryana | Chandigarh (also the capital of Punjab) | Haryanvi and Hindi |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | Hindi and Pahari |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi | Santhali, Mundari, Kurukh, Khortha, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar(Summer) & Jammu (Winter) |
Urdu, Kashmiri, Ladakhi |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru | Kannada |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthpuram | Malayalam |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | Hindi |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay) | Marathi |
| Manipur | Imphal | Manipuri |
| Meghalaya | Shillong | Khasi, Garo, English |
| Mizoram | Aizwal | Mizo |
| Nagaland | Kohima | English, Konyak, Angami |
| Odisha | Bhubaneshwar | Oriya |
| Punjab | Chandigarh (also the capital of Haryana) | Punjabi |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur (also known as Pink City) | Hindi, Rajasthani |
| Sikkim | Gangtok | Nepali, Bhutia, Lepcha, Limbu, Hindi, English |
| Telengana | Hyderabad | Telugu |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai (earlier known as Madras) | Tamil |
| Tripura | Agartala | Bengali and Kokborok |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow (also known as City of Nawabs) | Hindi |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun | Kumaoni, Garhwali |
| West Bengal | Kolkata (earlier known as Calcutta) | Bengali |
| Union Territory | Capital | Main Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi (National Capital Territory) | Delhi | Hindi and English |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Portblair | Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Nicobarese and Telugu |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh (designed by Le Corbusier) | Hindi, Punjabi |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Silvassa | Bhili, Bhilodi, Hindi, Gujarati |
| Daman & Diu | Daman (lies on the Gujarat Coast) | Gujarati, Marathi |
| Lakshadweep (smallest Union Territory) |
Kavaratti | Malayalam |
| Pondicherry | Pondicherry | Malyalam, Telugu, Tamil, French |
Among the Union Territories, the Andaman and Nicobar islands are the biggest, and Lakshadweep the smallest. Delhi is also a union territory with the status of the National Capital Territory.
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