In November 2000 India created three new states – the first
in 30 years. Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal
and Jharkhand were created by reducing in size three huge Northern Indian
states - Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar respectively. Now Andhra Pradesh – the largest southern
state has been split into two – creating the new state of Telangana. AP’s state capital – Hyderabad – falls within
Telangana and will act as capital for both states for the foreseeable
future.
India now has 29 states – some huge, some tiny. Most were created after independence based on
linguistic groupings. With a population
three times that of the United States many people feel that more are required to
help spread the funding into the impoverished areas. So Telangana will probably not be the newest
state for long.
