States and Capitals of India 2021 (Updated List): Total 28 States & 8 UTs In India

States and Capitals of India: India is the 7th largest country in the world and the 2nd most populous country in the world. With a total of 28 states and 8 Union Territories, it forms a union of states in India. Each state of India has an administrative, legislative and judicial capital some state all three functions are conducted in one capital. Every state is ruled by a Chief Minister. India is a union of states and in the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is the head of Executive. The system of state government closely resembles that of the Union. This article will answer all your questions and clear all your doubts related to the states and capitals of India.

Largest State in India – Check complete States list based on Area and population

How many states in India right now? 

As of May 2021, there are total of 28 states in India and 8 Union Territories. Union Territories are administered by the President through the administrators that are appointed. Hon’ble President of India is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union. Each state has its own chief ministers formulating the policies required to run the state.

What is a State?

Each state of India has an administrative, legislative and judicial capital some states all three functions are conducted in one capital. It is a territory that has its own Chief Minister. A state has its own separate government. Functions of the state are handled by the State Government such as security, healthcare, governance, revenue generation, etc.

List of the States Of India and their Capitals

Here is the list of the Indian States and their capitals that every Indian must know:

Largest State in India – Check complete States list based on Area and population

What is a Union Territory?

A Union Territory is an administrative division that is directly controlled by the Central Government.  Union Territories are ruled directly by the Central Government and have a Lieutenant Governor as an administrator, who is the representative of the President of India and appointed by the Central government.

Note: Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir do not operate in the same manner as the other five Union Territories of India since they have partial statehood status and have their own elected legislative assemblies.

How many Union Territories are there in India?

There are a total of 8 Union territories in India. Here is the list of Union Territories of India and their capitals:

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Difference Between State and Union Territory

States and Capitals of India: History 

India is a sovereign, secular, democratic, republic country with a parliamentary system of government. India gained its independence on 15th August 1947. It is a land of rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. States and Capitals of India are the basis of its linguistic, cultural, and geographical demarcation. Every state and union territory in India has an administrative, legislative and judicial capital of its own. After independence, it comprised 2 political units namely the British Provinces and the Princely States. The partition between India and Pakistan gave three options to the princely states:

1. Joining India
2. Joining Pakistan
3. Remaining independent

Out of the 552 princely states situated within India, 549 joined India and the remaining 3 refused to join India. However, they also integrated later. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and it was implemented on 26 January 1950. The boundaries of the states of India are reorganized on a linguistic basis by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

States and Capitals of India: UT Updates

Check out the recent updates on UT’s as of July 2020.

1. Since 26th January 2020, India has had 8 union territories. The U.T Daman and Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli have become a single union territory.

2. On August 5, the central government had also announced the abrogation of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and its division into two Union Territories i.e. UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

3. With the merger of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the number of UT’s have come down to eight.

States and Capitals of India: Articles in the Constitution

Articles 1 to 4 under Part 1 of the constitution describe India and its territories.

• Article 1 describes India as the “Union of States” and not the “Federation of states” The names of states and their territories are mentioned in the first schedule of the constitution.
• Article 2 permits the parliament to ‘admit into the Union of India or establish new states on such terms as it thinks fit.’ Hence, it gives power to parliament to establish new states.
• Article 3 authorizes the parliament to-
  a) form a new state by separation of territory
  b) increase the area of the state
  c) diminish the area of any state
  d) alter the boundary of any state
  e) alter the name of any state

List of the Indian States and their CM’s and Governors

List of Union territory with their Governors

List of the Indian States and their Languages:

States and Capitals of India FAQs

Q. How many states are there in India in 2020?
Ans. There are 28 states in India.

Q. How many union territories are there in India?
Ans. There are 8 Union Territories in India.

Q. Which State having common borders with the maximum number of States?
Ans. Uttar Pradesh

Q. Which is the largest State (area-wise) in India?
Ans. Rajasthan

Q. Which state in India occupies the same ranking position in respect of area and population?
Ans. Meghalaya