Railway
Union territories such as Delhi, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are administered on behalf of the President by an administrator who is usually designated as the:
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Answer: Option A — Lieutenant Governor
Detailed Solution
Under Article 239, every Union territory is administered by the President acting through an administrator appointed by him. In several Union territories, such as Delhi, Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the administrator is designated as the Lieutenant Governor.
Different designations of administrators:
- Lieutenant Governor: Delhi, Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Administrator: Chandigarh (the Governor of Punjab), Lakshadweep, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Union territories with legislatures:
- Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have Legislative Assemblies and Councils of Ministers headed by Chief Ministers.
- In these territories, the Lieutenant Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in most matters, but can refer differences to the President.
Delhi:
Under Article 239AA, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has special powers in matters relating to public order, police and land.
Puducherry:
It is governed under Article 239A and the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
Jammu and Kashmir:
Since 2019, it is a Union territory with a legislature, and the Lieutenant Governor has wide powers over police and public order.
Union territories without legislatures:
In territories such as Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the administrator runs the administration directly on behalf of the President.
The source's wording:
The source says the Lieutenant Governor takes over "in the absence of the Chief Minister"; in fact, the administrator is the head of the Union territory's administration on behalf of the President, and in territories without legislatures there is no Chief Minister at all.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chief Commissioners administered some territories in the past.
- ✗Governors head states, although a Governor may be the administrator of an adjoining Union territory.
- ✗The Chief Secretary is a civil servant.
Quick tip
Remember: Union territories = administered by the President through an administrator (Article 239), often called the Lieutenant Governor.
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Union, Territory & Citizenship — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Union, Territory & Citizenship, 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 Part I and Part II of the Constitution: the Union and its territory (Articles 1-4), the formation and reorganisation of states, and the provisions on citizenship (Articles 5-11), including how citizenship is acquired and lost under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Questions commonly ask which article describes India as a 'Union of States' (Article 1), how Parliament can create new states (Article 3), and the five ways of acquiring citizenship (birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory). Remember that India provides for single citizenship. Practise the union, territory and citizenship 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.