Correct option is D
The correct answer is D. 1956.
- Indian states were first reorganized on a linguistic basis through the States Re-organisation Act of 1956.
- This act was a major reform that redefined state boundaries to align with linguistic and cultural identities.
- It followed the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), which was set up in 1953 to address demands for linguistic states.The first state to be created on a linguistic basis was Andhra Pradesh, formed in 1953 for Telugu-speaking people.
- The 1956 reorganization led to the creation of 14 states and 6 union territories, shaping India's modern administrative structure.
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 led to the creation and restructuring of several states based on linguistic lines. Here are the major states that were reorganized:
- Andhra Pradesh – Formed for Telugu-speaking people, separated from Madras in 1953 and officially reorganized in 1956.
- Bombay – Merged several regions, including Marathi and Gujarati-speaking areas, later split into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960.
- Kerala – Created by merging Travancore-Cochin with Malabar, forming a Malayalam-speaking state.
- Madhya Pradesh – Formed by merging several Hindi-speaking regions, including Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, and Bhopal.
- Mysore (later Karnataka) – Created for Kannada-speaking people, merging regions like Coorg and parts of Bombay and Hyderabad states.
- Punjab – Reorganized with Hindi and Punjabi-speaking areas, later split into Punjab and Haryana in 1966.
- Rajasthan – Unified several princely states to form a Hindi-speaking region.
- Tamil Nadu – Retained its Tamil-speaking identity after Andhra Pradesh was separated.
- Uttar Pradesh – Consolidated Hindi-speaking regions.
Additionally, six Union Territories were created, including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
This reorganization significantly shaped India's administrative structure.
