What is the Constitutional Name Given to India?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
The constitutional name given to India is Bharat. Article 1 of the Indian constitution says “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”. It comprises both names that are “Bharat and India”. There is a third name “Hindustan” which is used by most of the modern Indian states of the subcontinent when people of these states speak among themselves.
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Constitutional Name of India
Article 1 refers to the “Name and territory of the Union”.Draft Article 1 (Article 1 of the Constitution of India 1950) was debated on November 15th and 17th, 1948, and September 17th and 18th, 1949. The following provisions have been incorporated into this article:
- The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the 1st Schedule.
- The territory of India shall comprise – the territories of the States and Union territories specified in the 1st Schedule; and such other territories as may be acquired.
Name of India
The Draft Article declared ‘India’ to be a ‘Union of States,’ and then defined India’s territory. A member proposed renaming ‘India’ to ‘Bharat,’ as the latter had a stronger historical pedigree.
- Another member proposed changing the Draft Article to use both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat.’
- Through an amendment, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee proposed that the Draft Article state that “India shall be a Union of States.”
- The amendment was approved by the house with the exception of one member who thought the phrasing was inelegant.
Except for those proposed by the Drafting Committee Chairman, the Assembly rejected all amendments to the Draft Article. On 18 September 1949, it approved the Draft Article.
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