How is a union territory different from a state in India?

A parliamentary proposal on August 5, 2019 to bifurcate the State of Jammu and Kashmir into 2 union territories takes the total number of states and union territories in India to 36, with 29 states and 7 union territories. But why separate the governing of these areas in this way? Is it just size, or are there other differences? Read on to know.  

How do we define a state and a union territory? 

Article 1 of the Indian constitution defines India as a Union of States. Each state is a partially self-governed unit with its own assemblies, police force, transport, infrastructure, and symbols. States have their own elected government, vested with the powers to frame laws. Unlike the states of India, which have their own governments, union territories are under the central government. The central government appoints a Lieutenant Governor as the administrator and representative of the President of India. Puducherry and Delhi are exceptions though. They have an elected legislature and government, and they have partial state rights. Union territories without this privilege are Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep 

How do state governments work? 

States enjoy a federal relationship with the central government, though India is not officially a federal republic. The legislative and executive powers are distributed between the state and central bodies. States are much larger in size than the union territories. States also have a degree of autonomous powers. 

How do union territories work? 

A union territory is a smaller administrative unit.  The president of India is the executive head of the union territory and he appoints an administrator for the territories. Union territories are also much smaller in size as compared to states, and do not have autonomous powers. However, there are local civic bodies to manage corporations and infrastructure systems. In India, there are two types of union territories, as we mentioned earlier, those with local legislature (such as Delhi and Puducherry) and the rest are without local legislature.