Question 90 from UPSC CSE 2025 - Polity & Governanc e

Question

Consider the following pairs:
1. Arunachal Pradesh â The capital is named after a fort, and the state has two national parks.
2. Nagaland â The state came into existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act.
3. Tripura â Initially a Part 'C' State, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganization of States in 1956 and later attained the status of a full-fledged state.
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Only two

Strategy: Assess each pair for factual correctness. For Arunachal Pradesh, link the capital's name (Itanagar) with the historical Ita Fort, and confirm the presence of its two national parks. For Nagaland, scrutinize the basis of statehood—while the constitutional amendment (13th Amendment) introduced special provisions, Nagaland's formation resulted from a separate state act. For Tripura, recall its journey from a Part 'C' State to a Union Territory and eventual statehood via the 1971 Act. This identifies that pairs 1 and 3 are correct, but pair 2 is not, making 'only two' the valid answer.

Key Info: Arunachal Pradesh derives its capital's name, Itanagar, from Ita Fort, a historical 14th–15th century brick fort. 'Ita' means 'brick' in Assamese. The state possesses two national parks: Namdapha, a biodiversity hotspot and the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalayas, and Mouling, known for its endemic flora and fauna, including hornbills.

Nagaland officially became a state on December 1, 1963, through the State of Nagaland Act, 1962. Concurrently, the Constitution (13th Amendment) Act, 1962 inserted Article 371A, granting Nagaland special protections regarding customary law, land, and resources. However, the state's formation was not due to a constitutional amendment but a specific statute, the State of Nagaland Act, 1962.

Tripura was a princely state that acceded to India in 1949, initially administered as a Chief Commissioner's province and designated a Part 'C' state. Following the States Reorganization Act, 1956, Tripura became a Union Territory. The North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 conferred statehood upon Tripura on January 21, 1972. This legislative trajectory is essential in understanding the administrative changes northeastern states underwent post-independence.

Answer

Option A: Only one

Answer

Option C: All three

Answer

Option D: None