Railway
The members of the States Reorganisation Commission set up in 1953 were:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Fazl Ali, K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru
Detailed Solution
Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru. The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was set up by the Government of India in December 1953 under the chairmanship of Justice Fazl Ali. Its other two members were K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru.
Background:
- After independence, there were strong demands to reorganise states on the basis of language.
- The death of Potti Sriramulu after a fast in 1952 led to the creation of Andhra State in October 1953, the first state formed on a linguistic basis.
- This increased demands from other linguistic groups.
Earlier commissions:
The Dar Commission (1948) and the JVP Committee (1948 to 1949), consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya, had rejected language as the sole basis for reorganising states.
Report of the SRC:
- It submitted its report in September 1955.
- It broadly accepted language as the basis of reorganisation, but rejected the theory of "one language, one state".
- It said that the unity and security of the country, financial and administrative considerations and the needs of planning should also be considered.
- It recommended abolishing the four-fold classification of states into Parts A, B, C and D.
The States Reorganisation Act, 1956:
- Based on the SRC's report, Parliament passed the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which came into force on 1 November 1956.
- It created 14 states and 6 Union territories.
- The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 made the necessary changes in the Constitution.
About the members:
Justice Saiyid Fazl Ali was a former judge of the Supreme Court and later Governor of Odisha and Assam.
K.M. Panikkar was a historian and diplomat, who served as India's ambassador to China.
H.N. Kunzru was a public figure and member of the Rajya Sabha.
Later reorganisations:
Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed in 1960, and Punjab was reorganised in 1966.
Why not the other options?
S.K. Dar headed the Dar Commission; the JVP Committee had Nehru, Patel and Sitaramayya.
Ambedkar and Munshi were not members of the SRC.
Quick tip
Remember: SRC (1953) = Fazl Ali (chairman), K.M. Panikkar, H.N. Kunzru; report in 1955; Act in 1956 (14 states, 6 UTs).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Committees & Commissions Questions
View all ›- Q1.The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) was chaired by:
- Q2.Which committee recommended the inclusion of Fundamental Duties in the Constitution of India?
- Q3.Which commission recommended 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government services?
- Q4.The recommendation that the appointment of Governors should be non-partisan was made by the:
- Q5.The Lodha Committee reforms are associated with:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Committees & Commissions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Committees & Commissions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the important committees and commissions set up in India, both before and after independence, on subjects such as administration, elections, Centre-state relations, local government, education, banking and the economy, along with their chairpersons and key recommendations. Questions usually name a committee and ask what it dealt with, or name a subject and ask which committee examined it. Examples include the Dhar and JVP committees on the linguistic reorganisation of states, the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-state relations, and the Narasimham Committee on banking reforms. A table of committee, chairperson and subject is the best way to revise. Practise the committees and commissions questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.