TN History Textbook: India After Independence | Old & New NCERTs for IAS Preparation (Must Read) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


207 206
November 1949. The Constitution came into effect on 26
th
 January
1950. Since then the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
The salient features of the Indian Constitution are the adult
suffrage, Parliamentary system, Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. It provides a combination of federal and unitary forms of
governance at the centre and the powers of the government have
been clearly stated in the three lists: Central, State and Concurrent.
The President is the constitutional head of the state while the
Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Indian
Parliament has two houses – the Rajya Sabha or upper house and the
Lok Sabha or lower house. Each state has its own government headed
by the Chief Minister who remains the leader of the majority party in the
respective Legislative Aassembly. Thus, democratically elected
governments rule the nation and provision is made for periodical elections.
The judiciary remains the upholder of the constitution. The
Indian judiciary system consists of the Supreme Court at the centre
and High Courts in the states. The subordinate courts in each state
are under the control of the High Court.
Integration of Princely States
At the time of Independence there were 11
British provinces and nearly 566 princely states.
After the departure of the British from India the
princes of Indian states began to dream of
independence. With great skill and masterful
diplomacy Sardar Vallabhai Patel succeeded in
integrating the princely states with the Indian
union by 15 August 1947. Only three of them –
Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad –
refused to join.
VALLABAI PATEL 
After the Independence in 1947, the most immediate and
important tasks before the Indian leaders were the drafting of the
constitution and the integration of Indian states into the Indian union.
They had also been vested with the responsibility of making India
economically sound and scientifically modern. In the long term
perspective, the most challenging tasks ahead have been the removal
poverty and the progress of education among the masses for which
the successive governments continue to take necessary steps.
Constitution of India
The Constituent Assembly began its work on
9
th
 December 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its Chairman. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee. After a detailed discussion, the
Constitution of India was finally adopted on 26
th
LESSON 20
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
1. The salient features of the Indian Constitution.
2. The integration of Indian States.
3. The Linguistic Reorganization of States.
4. Economic Development of India since Independence.
5. Growth of Science and Technology
6. The foreign policy of Independent India.
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD 
Page 2


207 206
November 1949. The Constitution came into effect on 26
th
 January
1950. Since then the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
The salient features of the Indian Constitution are the adult
suffrage, Parliamentary system, Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. It provides a combination of federal and unitary forms of
governance at the centre and the powers of the government have
been clearly stated in the three lists: Central, State and Concurrent.
The President is the constitutional head of the state while the
Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Indian
Parliament has two houses – the Rajya Sabha or upper house and the
Lok Sabha or lower house. Each state has its own government headed
by the Chief Minister who remains the leader of the majority party in the
respective Legislative Aassembly. Thus, democratically elected
governments rule the nation and provision is made for periodical elections.
The judiciary remains the upholder of the constitution. The
Indian judiciary system consists of the Supreme Court at the centre
and High Courts in the states. The subordinate courts in each state
are under the control of the High Court.
Integration of Princely States
At the time of Independence there were 11
British provinces and nearly 566 princely states.
After the departure of the British from India the
princes of Indian states began to dream of
independence. With great skill and masterful
diplomacy Sardar Vallabhai Patel succeeded in
integrating the princely states with the Indian
union by 15 August 1947. Only three of them –
Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad –
refused to join.
VALLABAI PATEL 
After the Independence in 1947, the most immediate and
important tasks before the Indian leaders were the drafting of the
constitution and the integration of Indian states into the Indian union.
They had also been vested with the responsibility of making India
economically sound and scientifically modern. In the long term
perspective, the most challenging tasks ahead have been the removal
poverty and the progress of education among the masses for which
the successive governments continue to take necessary steps.
Constitution of India
The Constituent Assembly began its work on
9
th
 December 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its Chairman. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee. After a detailed discussion, the
Constitution of India was finally adopted on 26
th
LESSON 20
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
1. The salient features of the Indian Constitution.
2. The integration of Indian States.
3. The Linguistic Reorganization of States.
4. Economic Development of India since Independence.
5. Growth of Science and Technology
6. The foreign policy of Independent India.
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD 
209 208
speaking state. The struggle led by M.P. Sivagnanam to retain Tiruttani
with Madras was a memorable event in the history of Tamil Nadu.
The success of Andhra struggle encouraged other linguistic
groups to agitate for their own state. In 1953, Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganization Commission
with Justice Fazal Ali as its chairman and Pandit Hridayanath Kunzru
and Sardar K.M. Panikkar as its members. The commission submitted
its report on 30 September 1955. Based on this report, the States
Reorganization Act was passed by the Parliament in 1956. It provided
for 16 states and six union territories. The Telengana region was
transferred to Andhra. Kerala was created by merging the Malabar
district with Travancore-Cochin. There was a strong movement of
the Tamil linguistic people in Travancore (Kaniyakumari) who
struggled to be part of the state of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Polity (1947 – 2000)
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru was considered the architect of  modern
India. He consolidated the Indian Independence
by forging national unity, nurturing democratic
institutions, promoting science and technology,
planning for economic development and by
following independent foreign policy. He was
truly a nation builder. He died in 1964.
Lal Bahadur Sastri succeeded Nehru as
the next Prime Minister of India. He remained
a role model for honesty in public life. He ended the Indo-Pak war of
1965 by concluding the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966. His
untimely death was a great loss to the nation.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 
 The ruler of Junagadh expressed his willingness to join Pakistan
against the wishes of the people of that state. Patel sent Indian troops
and after a plebiscite Junagadh joined Indian Union.
 The state of Jammu and Kashmir bordered India and Pakistan.
Its ruler was Raja Hari Singh. In the beginning he also claimed
independent status. When the Pathan tribes led by Pakistan army
officers invaded Kashmir, Hari Singh sought the help of India. Nehru
pointed out that under international law India could send its troops
only after the state’s accession to India. Therefore, on 26
th
 October
1947, Raja Hari Singh signed the ‘instrument of accession’ and Jammu
and Kashmir has become an integral part of India.
In the case of Hyderabad the Nizam refused to join the Indian
union. After repeated appeals, in 1948 Indian troops moved into
Hyderabad and the Nizam surrendered. Finally, Hyderabad acceded
to the Indian Union.
Thus the Union of India was established with the integration
and accession of the princely states with the Indian Union. This
formidable task was fulfilled by the “Iron Man of India” Sardar
Vallabhai Patel.
The Linguistic Reorganization of the States
In 1948, the first Linguistic Provinces Commission headed by
S.K. Dar was appointed by the Constituent Assembly to enquire into
the possibility of linguistic provinces. This commission advised against
such a step. In the same year another committee known as JVP
committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and
Pattabhi Sitaramaih was appointed by the Congress Party. This
committee also did not favour for linguistic provinces. But there were
popular movements for states reorganization all over the country and
it was intensive in Andhra. Therefore, in 1953 Andhra was created
as a separate state. Simultaneously, Madras was created as a Tamil-
Page 3


207 206
November 1949. The Constitution came into effect on 26
th
 January
1950. Since then the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
The salient features of the Indian Constitution are the adult
suffrage, Parliamentary system, Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. It provides a combination of federal and unitary forms of
governance at the centre and the powers of the government have
been clearly stated in the three lists: Central, State and Concurrent.
The President is the constitutional head of the state while the
Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Indian
Parliament has two houses – the Rajya Sabha or upper house and the
Lok Sabha or lower house. Each state has its own government headed
by the Chief Minister who remains the leader of the majority party in the
respective Legislative Aassembly. Thus, democratically elected
governments rule the nation and provision is made for periodical elections.
The judiciary remains the upholder of the constitution. The
Indian judiciary system consists of the Supreme Court at the centre
and High Courts in the states. The subordinate courts in each state
are under the control of the High Court.
Integration of Princely States
At the time of Independence there were 11
British provinces and nearly 566 princely states.
After the departure of the British from India the
princes of Indian states began to dream of
independence. With great skill and masterful
diplomacy Sardar Vallabhai Patel succeeded in
integrating the princely states with the Indian
union by 15 August 1947. Only three of them –
Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad –
refused to join.
VALLABAI PATEL 
After the Independence in 1947, the most immediate and
important tasks before the Indian leaders were the drafting of the
constitution and the integration of Indian states into the Indian union.
They had also been vested with the responsibility of making India
economically sound and scientifically modern. In the long term
perspective, the most challenging tasks ahead have been the removal
poverty and the progress of education among the masses for which
the successive governments continue to take necessary steps.
Constitution of India
The Constituent Assembly began its work on
9
th
 December 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its Chairman. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee. After a detailed discussion, the
Constitution of India was finally adopted on 26
th
LESSON 20
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
1. The salient features of the Indian Constitution.
2. The integration of Indian States.
3. The Linguistic Reorganization of States.
4. Economic Development of India since Independence.
5. Growth of Science and Technology
6. The foreign policy of Independent India.
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD 
209 208
speaking state. The struggle led by M.P. Sivagnanam to retain Tiruttani
with Madras was a memorable event in the history of Tamil Nadu.
The success of Andhra struggle encouraged other linguistic
groups to agitate for their own state. In 1953, Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganization Commission
with Justice Fazal Ali as its chairman and Pandit Hridayanath Kunzru
and Sardar K.M. Panikkar as its members. The commission submitted
its report on 30 September 1955. Based on this report, the States
Reorganization Act was passed by the Parliament in 1956. It provided
for 16 states and six union territories. The Telengana region was
transferred to Andhra. Kerala was created by merging the Malabar
district with Travancore-Cochin. There was a strong movement of
the Tamil linguistic people in Travancore (Kaniyakumari) who
struggled to be part of the state of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Polity (1947 – 2000)
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru was considered the architect of  modern
India. He consolidated the Indian Independence
by forging national unity, nurturing democratic
institutions, promoting science and technology,
planning for economic development and by
following independent foreign policy. He was
truly a nation builder. He died in 1964.
Lal Bahadur Sastri succeeded Nehru as
the next Prime Minister of India. He remained
a role model for honesty in public life. He ended the Indo-Pak war of
1965 by concluding the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966. His
untimely death was a great loss to the nation.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 
 The ruler of Junagadh expressed his willingness to join Pakistan
against the wishes of the people of that state. Patel sent Indian troops
and after a plebiscite Junagadh joined Indian Union.
 The state of Jammu and Kashmir bordered India and Pakistan.
Its ruler was Raja Hari Singh. In the beginning he also claimed
independent status. When the Pathan tribes led by Pakistan army
officers invaded Kashmir, Hari Singh sought the help of India. Nehru
pointed out that under international law India could send its troops
only after the state’s accession to India. Therefore, on 26
th
 October
1947, Raja Hari Singh signed the ‘instrument of accession’ and Jammu
and Kashmir has become an integral part of India.
In the case of Hyderabad the Nizam refused to join the Indian
union. After repeated appeals, in 1948 Indian troops moved into
Hyderabad and the Nizam surrendered. Finally, Hyderabad acceded
to the Indian Union.
Thus the Union of India was established with the integration
and accession of the princely states with the Indian Union. This
formidable task was fulfilled by the “Iron Man of India” Sardar
Vallabhai Patel.
The Linguistic Reorganization of the States
In 1948, the first Linguistic Provinces Commission headed by
S.K. Dar was appointed by the Constituent Assembly to enquire into
the possibility of linguistic provinces. This commission advised against
such a step. In the same year another committee known as JVP
committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and
Pattabhi Sitaramaih was appointed by the Congress Party. This
committee also did not favour for linguistic provinces. But there were
popular movements for states reorganization all over the country and
it was intensive in Andhra. Therefore, in 1953 Andhra was created
as a separate state. Simultaneously, Madras was created as a Tamil-
211 210
V.P. Singh was the Prime Minister between
1989 and 1991. He was leading an  anti-Congress
coalition called the Janata Dal. During his tenure he
decided to implement the Mandal Commission
Report which provided reservation for other
backward classes. His government was marked by
factionalism, and he was forced to resign in 1990.
The next Prime Minister Chandrasekhar held the
office from November 1990 to March 1991.
 In June 1991 P. V . Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister.
He moved decisively toward new economic reforms, reducing the
government’s economic role, instituting austerity measures, and
encouraging foreign investment. The finance minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh’s role in this sphere is worth noting. As a result, India started
moving towards liberalization, privatization and globalization.
After the elections of 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became
Prime Minister from the BJP party but he was not able to prove
majority in the Parliament. Deve Gowda formed a coalition
government. He was the eleventh Prime Minister of India (1996–
1997). He was from the state of Karnataka. His government also
fell due to the no confidence motion voted jointly by the Congress
and the BJP. He was succeeded by   I.K. Gujral for a brief period in
1997. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister of India in
1998. In the 1999 elections the National Democratic Alliance under
the leadership of Vajpayee formed the government. His period
witnessed two important events. One was the Kargil War with
Pakistan and another was the nuclear tests at Pokhran.
Economic Development
When India became independent in 1947, it was gripped by
mass poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, static agriculture, poorly
developed industries and inadequate infrastructure. There was an
V.P. SINGH 
Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru became
Prime Minister in 1966 and bravely faced the
domestic challenges such as scarcity of food and
foreign pressures during the 1971 Bangladesh
crisis. When opposition to her
rule gathered momentum in 1975,
she  brought emergency rule, a
black mark in the democratic
tradition of India. However, she restored democratic
rule by announcing general elections in 1977 in which
she was defeated. Later in 1980 she was able to
regain power by democratic means. In 1983 she
undertook “Blue Star Operation” in the Golden
Temple at Amritsar - Punjab. As a result, unfortunately, she was
shot dead by her own bodyguards in 1984 as a vengeance to her
policy towards Punjab militancy.
The Janata Party rule for brief period between 1977 and  1980
brought Morarji Desai as Prime Minister of India. For the first time
a non-Congress ministry was formed after independence. The lack
of unity among the Janata leaders had resulted in the fall of the Janata
Government.
Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India in 1984
after her mother Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
He introduced New Education Policy and
encouraged foreign investment. In 1987 he sent
the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka with
a view to put an end to the ethnic violence. He
continued as Prime Minister till the next elections
held in 1989. Later in May 1991, he was
assassinated (by the Sri Lankan Tamil
extremists).
INDIRA GANDHI 
MORARJI DESAI 
RAJIV GANDHI 
Page 4


207 206
November 1949. The Constitution came into effect on 26
th
 January
1950. Since then the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
The salient features of the Indian Constitution are the adult
suffrage, Parliamentary system, Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. It provides a combination of federal and unitary forms of
governance at the centre and the powers of the government have
been clearly stated in the three lists: Central, State and Concurrent.
The President is the constitutional head of the state while the
Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Indian
Parliament has two houses – the Rajya Sabha or upper house and the
Lok Sabha or lower house. Each state has its own government headed
by the Chief Minister who remains the leader of the majority party in the
respective Legislative Aassembly. Thus, democratically elected
governments rule the nation and provision is made for periodical elections.
The judiciary remains the upholder of the constitution. The
Indian judiciary system consists of the Supreme Court at the centre
and High Courts in the states. The subordinate courts in each state
are under the control of the High Court.
Integration of Princely States
At the time of Independence there were 11
British provinces and nearly 566 princely states.
After the departure of the British from India the
princes of Indian states began to dream of
independence. With great skill and masterful
diplomacy Sardar Vallabhai Patel succeeded in
integrating the princely states with the Indian
union by 15 August 1947. Only three of them –
Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad –
refused to join.
VALLABAI PATEL 
After the Independence in 1947, the most immediate and
important tasks before the Indian leaders were the drafting of the
constitution and the integration of Indian states into the Indian union.
They had also been vested with the responsibility of making India
economically sound and scientifically modern. In the long term
perspective, the most challenging tasks ahead have been the removal
poverty and the progress of education among the masses for which
the successive governments continue to take necessary steps.
Constitution of India
The Constituent Assembly began its work on
9
th
 December 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its Chairman. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee. After a detailed discussion, the
Constitution of India was finally adopted on 26
th
LESSON 20
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
1. The salient features of the Indian Constitution.
2. The integration of Indian States.
3. The Linguistic Reorganization of States.
4. Economic Development of India since Independence.
5. Growth of Science and Technology
6. The foreign policy of Independent India.
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD 
209 208
speaking state. The struggle led by M.P. Sivagnanam to retain Tiruttani
with Madras was a memorable event in the history of Tamil Nadu.
The success of Andhra struggle encouraged other linguistic
groups to agitate for their own state. In 1953, Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganization Commission
with Justice Fazal Ali as its chairman and Pandit Hridayanath Kunzru
and Sardar K.M. Panikkar as its members. The commission submitted
its report on 30 September 1955. Based on this report, the States
Reorganization Act was passed by the Parliament in 1956. It provided
for 16 states and six union territories. The Telengana region was
transferred to Andhra. Kerala was created by merging the Malabar
district with Travancore-Cochin. There was a strong movement of
the Tamil linguistic people in Travancore (Kaniyakumari) who
struggled to be part of the state of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Polity (1947 – 2000)
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru was considered the architect of  modern
India. He consolidated the Indian Independence
by forging national unity, nurturing democratic
institutions, promoting science and technology,
planning for economic development and by
following independent foreign policy. He was
truly a nation builder. He died in 1964.
Lal Bahadur Sastri succeeded Nehru as
the next Prime Minister of India. He remained
a role model for honesty in public life. He ended the Indo-Pak war of
1965 by concluding the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966. His
untimely death was a great loss to the nation.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 
 The ruler of Junagadh expressed his willingness to join Pakistan
against the wishes of the people of that state. Patel sent Indian troops
and after a plebiscite Junagadh joined Indian Union.
 The state of Jammu and Kashmir bordered India and Pakistan.
Its ruler was Raja Hari Singh. In the beginning he also claimed
independent status. When the Pathan tribes led by Pakistan army
officers invaded Kashmir, Hari Singh sought the help of India. Nehru
pointed out that under international law India could send its troops
only after the state’s accession to India. Therefore, on 26
th
 October
1947, Raja Hari Singh signed the ‘instrument of accession’ and Jammu
and Kashmir has become an integral part of India.
In the case of Hyderabad the Nizam refused to join the Indian
union. After repeated appeals, in 1948 Indian troops moved into
Hyderabad and the Nizam surrendered. Finally, Hyderabad acceded
to the Indian Union.
Thus the Union of India was established with the integration
and accession of the princely states with the Indian Union. This
formidable task was fulfilled by the “Iron Man of India” Sardar
Vallabhai Patel.
The Linguistic Reorganization of the States
In 1948, the first Linguistic Provinces Commission headed by
S.K. Dar was appointed by the Constituent Assembly to enquire into
the possibility of linguistic provinces. This commission advised against
such a step. In the same year another committee known as JVP
committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and
Pattabhi Sitaramaih was appointed by the Congress Party. This
committee also did not favour for linguistic provinces. But there were
popular movements for states reorganization all over the country and
it was intensive in Andhra. Therefore, in 1953 Andhra was created
as a separate state. Simultaneously, Madras was created as a Tamil-
211 210
V.P. Singh was the Prime Minister between
1989 and 1991. He was leading an  anti-Congress
coalition called the Janata Dal. During his tenure he
decided to implement the Mandal Commission
Report which provided reservation for other
backward classes. His government was marked by
factionalism, and he was forced to resign in 1990.
The next Prime Minister Chandrasekhar held the
office from November 1990 to March 1991.
 In June 1991 P. V . Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister.
He moved decisively toward new economic reforms, reducing the
government’s economic role, instituting austerity measures, and
encouraging foreign investment. The finance minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh’s role in this sphere is worth noting. As a result, India started
moving towards liberalization, privatization and globalization.
After the elections of 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became
Prime Minister from the BJP party but he was not able to prove
majority in the Parliament. Deve Gowda formed a coalition
government. He was the eleventh Prime Minister of India (1996–
1997). He was from the state of Karnataka. His government also
fell due to the no confidence motion voted jointly by the Congress
and the BJP. He was succeeded by   I.K. Gujral for a brief period in
1997. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister of India in
1998. In the 1999 elections the National Democratic Alliance under
the leadership of Vajpayee formed the government. His period
witnessed two important events. One was the Kargil War with
Pakistan and another was the nuclear tests at Pokhran.
Economic Development
When India became independent in 1947, it was gripped by
mass poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, static agriculture, poorly
developed industries and inadequate infrastructure. There was an
V.P. SINGH 
Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru became
Prime Minister in 1966 and bravely faced the
domestic challenges such as scarcity of food and
foreign pressures during the 1971 Bangladesh
crisis. When opposition to her
rule gathered momentum in 1975,
she  brought emergency rule, a
black mark in the democratic
tradition of India. However, she restored democratic
rule by announcing general elections in 1977 in which
she was defeated. Later in 1980 she was able to
regain power by democratic means. In 1983 she
undertook “Blue Star Operation” in the Golden
Temple at Amritsar - Punjab. As a result, unfortunately, she was
shot dead by her own bodyguards in 1984 as a vengeance to her
policy towards Punjab militancy.
The Janata Party rule for brief period between 1977 and  1980
brought Morarji Desai as Prime Minister of India. For the first time
a non-Congress ministry was formed after independence. The lack
of unity among the Janata leaders had resulted in the fall of the Janata
Government.
Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India in 1984
after her mother Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
He introduced New Education Policy and
encouraged foreign investment. In 1987 he sent
the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka with
a view to put an end to the ethnic violence. He
continued as Prime Minister till the next elections
held in 1989. Later in May 1991, he was
assassinated (by the Sri Lankan Tamil
extremists).
INDIRA GANDHI 
MORARJI DESAI 
RAJIV GANDHI 
213 212
reliance”. The original draft outline of the plan was prepared in
1966 under the stewardship of Ashok Mehta. Popular economic
slogan during this time was Garibi Hatao (Removal of poverty).
The Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79) was introduced at a time when
the country was under severe economic crisis arising out of inflation.
There was increase in oil price. But the plan was dropped at the end
of the fourth year of the plan in March 1978 by the Janata Government.
The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85) aimed at strengthening the
infrastructure for both agriculture and industry and meet the minimum
basic needs of the people. The Seventh Five Year Plan (1985 – 90)
emphasized on accelerating the growth of food grains production,
increasing employment opportunities and raising productivity. The
Eighth Five Year Plan (1992 – 97) aimed to achieve the goals, namely,
improvement in the levels of living, health and education of the people,
full employment, and elimination of poverty and planned growth of
population. The main objectives of the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997 –
2002) were to give priority to agricultural sector, to remove poverty,
to control prices, to provide food to the weaker sections, population
control, to develop panchayat administration and to uplift the depressed
classes as well as tribal people.
The Green Revolution
Despite creditable growth of agricultural output in the 1950s
India faced food shortage in the mid sixties. The increase in population
and the huge outlay to the plan of industrialization put pressures on
agricultural growth. India was forced to import millions of tons of
food grains. The two wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1965)
and two successive drought years (1965-66) brought enormous
pressures to food production. In this background the Green Revolution
was launched in India with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in
food production.
urgent need immediate efforts on national scale to achieve the path
of progress in the socio-economic front. Jawaharlal Nehru, was
greatly influenced by the achievements of Soviet Planning. But he
also realized the importance of the democratic values. He encouraged
planning for rapid industrial and agricultural growth. He encouraged
Mixed Economy as a result both public sector (Government owned)
and Private Sector companies come in to existence. His fundamental
objective was to build an independent self-reliant economy.
Economic Planning
The National Planning Commission was established on 15
March 1950 with the Prime Minister Nehru as its chairperson. The
main objectives of the Planning Commission were:
(i) To achieve higher level of national and per capita income.
(ii) To achieve full employment.
(iii) To reduce inequalities of income and wealth.
(iv) To setup a society based on equality and justice and
absence of exploitation.
The First Five Year Plan (1951-1956) tried to complete the
projects at hand including the rehabilitation of refugees. It was only
during the Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis,
the noted economist played a leading role. This plan aimed at
developing the industrial sector in the country. Rapid industrialization
with particular emphasis in the development of basic and heavy
industries continued during the Third Five Year Plan (1961-66).
During this period many iron and steel, chemical, fertilizers, heavy
engineering and machine building industries were set up in different
parts of India.
The objective of the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) was
“growth with stability” and “progressive achievement of self
Page 5


207 206
November 1949. The Constitution came into effect on 26
th
 January
1950. Since then the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
The salient features of the Indian Constitution are the adult
suffrage, Parliamentary system, Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles. It provides a combination of federal and unitary forms of
governance at the centre and the powers of the government have
been clearly stated in the three lists: Central, State and Concurrent.
The President is the constitutional head of the state while the
Prime Minister is the head of the Executive. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the party that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Indian
Parliament has two houses – the Rajya Sabha or upper house and the
Lok Sabha or lower house. Each state has its own government headed
by the Chief Minister who remains the leader of the majority party in the
respective Legislative Aassembly. Thus, democratically elected
governments rule the nation and provision is made for periodical elections.
The judiciary remains the upholder of the constitution. The
Indian judiciary system consists of the Supreme Court at the centre
and High Courts in the states. The subordinate courts in each state
are under the control of the High Court.
Integration of Princely States
At the time of Independence there were 11
British provinces and nearly 566 princely states.
After the departure of the British from India the
princes of Indian states began to dream of
independence. With great skill and masterful
diplomacy Sardar Vallabhai Patel succeeded in
integrating the princely states with the Indian
union by 15 August 1947. Only three of them –
Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad –
refused to join.
VALLABAI PATEL 
After the Independence in 1947, the most immediate and
important tasks before the Indian leaders were the drafting of the
constitution and the integration of Indian states into the Indian union.
They had also been vested with the responsibility of making India
economically sound and scientifically modern. In the long term
perspective, the most challenging tasks ahead have been the removal
poverty and the progress of education among the masses for which
the successive governments continue to take necessary steps.
Constitution of India
The Constituent Assembly began its work on
9
th
 December 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was
elected as its Chairman. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting
Committee. After a detailed discussion, the
Constitution of India was finally adopted on 26
th
LESSON 20
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Learning Objectives
Students will understand
1. The salient features of the Indian Constitution.
2. The integration of Indian States.
3. The Linguistic Reorganization of States.
4. Economic Development of India since Independence.
5. Growth of Science and Technology
6. The foreign policy of Independent India.
Dr. RAJENDRA PRASAD 
209 208
speaking state. The struggle led by M.P. Sivagnanam to retain Tiruttani
with Madras was a memorable event in the history of Tamil Nadu.
The success of Andhra struggle encouraged other linguistic
groups to agitate for their own state. In 1953, Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganization Commission
with Justice Fazal Ali as its chairman and Pandit Hridayanath Kunzru
and Sardar K.M. Panikkar as its members. The commission submitted
its report on 30 September 1955. Based on this report, the States
Reorganization Act was passed by the Parliament in 1956. It provided
for 16 states and six union territories. The Telengana region was
transferred to Andhra. Kerala was created by merging the Malabar
district with Travancore-Cochin. There was a strong movement of
the Tamil linguistic people in Travancore (Kaniyakumari) who
struggled to be part of the state of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Polity (1947 – 2000)
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru was considered the architect of  modern
India. He consolidated the Indian Independence
by forging national unity, nurturing democratic
institutions, promoting science and technology,
planning for economic development and by
following independent foreign policy. He was
truly a nation builder. He died in 1964.
Lal Bahadur Sastri succeeded Nehru as
the next Prime Minister of India. He remained
a role model for honesty in public life. He ended the Indo-Pak war of
1965 by concluding the Tashkent Agreement in January 1966. His
untimely death was a great loss to the nation.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 
 The ruler of Junagadh expressed his willingness to join Pakistan
against the wishes of the people of that state. Patel sent Indian troops
and after a plebiscite Junagadh joined Indian Union.
 The state of Jammu and Kashmir bordered India and Pakistan.
Its ruler was Raja Hari Singh. In the beginning he also claimed
independent status. When the Pathan tribes led by Pakistan army
officers invaded Kashmir, Hari Singh sought the help of India. Nehru
pointed out that under international law India could send its troops
only after the state’s accession to India. Therefore, on 26
th
 October
1947, Raja Hari Singh signed the ‘instrument of accession’ and Jammu
and Kashmir has become an integral part of India.
In the case of Hyderabad the Nizam refused to join the Indian
union. After repeated appeals, in 1948 Indian troops moved into
Hyderabad and the Nizam surrendered. Finally, Hyderabad acceded
to the Indian Union.
Thus the Union of India was established with the integration
and accession of the princely states with the Indian Union. This
formidable task was fulfilled by the “Iron Man of India” Sardar
Vallabhai Patel.
The Linguistic Reorganization of the States
In 1948, the first Linguistic Provinces Commission headed by
S.K. Dar was appointed by the Constituent Assembly to enquire into
the possibility of linguistic provinces. This commission advised against
such a step. In the same year another committee known as JVP
committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and
Pattabhi Sitaramaih was appointed by the Congress Party. This
committee also did not favour for linguistic provinces. But there were
popular movements for states reorganization all over the country and
it was intensive in Andhra. Therefore, in 1953 Andhra was created
as a separate state. Simultaneously, Madras was created as a Tamil-
211 210
V.P. Singh was the Prime Minister between
1989 and 1991. He was leading an  anti-Congress
coalition called the Janata Dal. During his tenure he
decided to implement the Mandal Commission
Report which provided reservation for other
backward classes. His government was marked by
factionalism, and he was forced to resign in 1990.
The next Prime Minister Chandrasekhar held the
office from November 1990 to March 1991.
 In June 1991 P. V . Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister.
He moved decisively toward new economic reforms, reducing the
government’s economic role, instituting austerity measures, and
encouraging foreign investment. The finance minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh’s role in this sphere is worth noting. As a result, India started
moving towards liberalization, privatization and globalization.
After the elections of 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became
Prime Minister from the BJP party but he was not able to prove
majority in the Parliament. Deve Gowda formed a coalition
government. He was the eleventh Prime Minister of India (1996–
1997). He was from the state of Karnataka. His government also
fell due to the no confidence motion voted jointly by the Congress
and the BJP. He was succeeded by   I.K. Gujral for a brief period in
1997. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister of India in
1998. In the 1999 elections the National Democratic Alliance under
the leadership of Vajpayee formed the government. His period
witnessed two important events. One was the Kargil War with
Pakistan and another was the nuclear tests at Pokhran.
Economic Development
When India became independent in 1947, it was gripped by
mass poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, static agriculture, poorly
developed industries and inadequate infrastructure. There was an
V.P. SINGH 
Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru became
Prime Minister in 1966 and bravely faced the
domestic challenges such as scarcity of food and
foreign pressures during the 1971 Bangladesh
crisis. When opposition to her
rule gathered momentum in 1975,
she  brought emergency rule, a
black mark in the democratic
tradition of India. However, she restored democratic
rule by announcing general elections in 1977 in which
she was defeated. Later in 1980 she was able to
regain power by democratic means. In 1983 she
undertook “Blue Star Operation” in the Golden
Temple at Amritsar - Punjab. As a result, unfortunately, she was
shot dead by her own bodyguards in 1984 as a vengeance to her
policy towards Punjab militancy.
The Janata Party rule for brief period between 1977 and  1980
brought Morarji Desai as Prime Minister of India. For the first time
a non-Congress ministry was formed after independence. The lack
of unity among the Janata leaders had resulted in the fall of the Janata
Government.
Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India in 1984
after her mother Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
He introduced New Education Policy and
encouraged foreign investment. In 1987 he sent
the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka with
a view to put an end to the ethnic violence. He
continued as Prime Minister till the next elections
held in 1989. Later in May 1991, he was
assassinated (by the Sri Lankan Tamil
extremists).
INDIRA GANDHI 
MORARJI DESAI 
RAJIV GANDHI 
213 212
reliance”. The original draft outline of the plan was prepared in
1966 under the stewardship of Ashok Mehta. Popular economic
slogan during this time was Garibi Hatao (Removal of poverty).
The Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79) was introduced at a time when
the country was under severe economic crisis arising out of inflation.
There was increase in oil price. But the plan was dropped at the end
of the fourth year of the plan in March 1978 by the Janata Government.
The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85) aimed at strengthening the
infrastructure for both agriculture and industry and meet the minimum
basic needs of the people. The Seventh Five Year Plan (1985 – 90)
emphasized on accelerating the growth of food grains production,
increasing employment opportunities and raising productivity. The
Eighth Five Year Plan (1992 – 97) aimed to achieve the goals, namely,
improvement in the levels of living, health and education of the people,
full employment, and elimination of poverty and planned growth of
population. The main objectives of the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997 –
2002) were to give priority to agricultural sector, to remove poverty,
to control prices, to provide food to the weaker sections, population
control, to develop panchayat administration and to uplift the depressed
classes as well as tribal people.
The Green Revolution
Despite creditable growth of agricultural output in the 1950s
India faced food shortage in the mid sixties. The increase in population
and the huge outlay to the plan of industrialization put pressures on
agricultural growth. India was forced to import millions of tons of
food grains. The two wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1965)
and two successive drought years (1965-66) brought enormous
pressures to food production. In this background the Green Revolution
was launched in India with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in
food production.
urgent need immediate efforts on national scale to achieve the path
of progress in the socio-economic front. Jawaharlal Nehru, was
greatly influenced by the achievements of Soviet Planning. But he
also realized the importance of the democratic values. He encouraged
planning for rapid industrial and agricultural growth. He encouraged
Mixed Economy as a result both public sector (Government owned)
and Private Sector companies come in to existence. His fundamental
objective was to build an independent self-reliant economy.
Economic Planning
The National Planning Commission was established on 15
March 1950 with the Prime Minister Nehru as its chairperson. The
main objectives of the Planning Commission were:
(i) To achieve higher level of national and per capita income.
(ii) To achieve full employment.
(iii) To reduce inequalities of income and wealth.
(iv) To setup a society based on equality and justice and
absence of exploitation.
The First Five Year Plan (1951-1956) tried to complete the
projects at hand including the rehabilitation of refugees. It was only
during the Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis,
the noted economist played a leading role. This plan aimed at
developing the industrial sector in the country. Rapid industrialization
with particular emphasis in the development of basic and heavy
industries continued during the Third Five Year Plan (1961-66).
During this period many iron and steel, chemical, fertilizers, heavy
engineering and machine building industries were set up in different
parts of India.
The objective of the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) was
“growth with stability” and “progressive achievement of self
215 214
Technology (DST) which was set up in 1971 has
been assigned the responsibility of formulating
science policy.
Atomic Energy
India was one of the first countries in the world
to recognize the importance of nuclear energy. The
Atomic Energy Commission was set up in August
1948 under the chairmanship of Homi J. Baba to formulate a policy
for all atomic energy activities in the country. The Department of
Atomic Energy (DAE) was set up 1954 as executive agency for
implementing the atomic energy programmes. In 1956, India’s first
nuclear reactor in Trombay near Bombay (first in Asia also) began
to function. Research and development work in the field of atomic
energy and allied fields are carried out at three research centres,
namely the Bhabha Atomic Research Center at Trombay, the Indira
Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu and
the Center for Advanced Technology, Chennai.
Space Research
India has also evinced interest in space research. The Indian
National Committee for Space Research was set up in 1962. Side by
side, a Rocket Launching Facility at Thumba came up. The first
generation Indian National Satellite System (INSAT-1) represents
India’s first step towards implementing national requirements. The
INSAT – 1A and the INSAT – 1B served country’s need in the field
of telecommunications and meteorological earth observations.
The ISRO [Indian Space Research Organization] looks after
the activities in space science, technology and applications. T h e
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Trivandrum, the largest of the ISRO
centres, is primarily responsible for indigenous launch vehicle
HOMI J. BABA 
The then Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Sastri, Food Minister,
C. Subramanian, and Indira Gandhi, who succeeded Sastri in 1966
after his brief tenure, put their efforts to the development of
agriculture. The term Green Revolution was coined by Dr William
Gadd of USA in 1968, when Indian farmers brought about a great
advancement in wheat production.  The introduction of modern
methods of agriculture such as high-yield variety seeds, chemical
fertilizers and pesticides agricultural machineries such as tractors,
pump-sets and agricultural education considerably increased the food
grain production in India. India attained food self-sufficiency by the
1980s. The effects of Green Revolution were notable in the north-
western region of Punjab, Haryana and western U.P., Andhra
Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Growth of Science and Technology
Independent India has also witnessed a tremendous growth in
the sphere of science and technology. After 1947, Nehru became
aware of the significant role of scientific research and technology
for the progress of India. India’s first national laboratory, the National
Physical Laboratory was established in 1947. It was followed by
seventeen such national laboratories for specializing in different areas
of research. Nehru himself assumed the chairmanship of the Council
of Scientific and Industrial Research.
 In 1952, the first Indian Institute of Technology, on the model
of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was set up at Kharagpur.
Subsequently, IITs were set up at Madras, Bombay, Kanpur and Delhi.
The expenditure on scientific research and science-based activities
has increased year by year.
There are about 200 research laboratories in India carrying
out research in different areas. The Department of Science and