Historical understanding of the Arunachal Pradesh State

The recent history and the administration of Arunachal Pradesh can be said to date back to 1838 when the British extended their administration to the frontiers which now form Arunachal Pradesh. The administration to this area under that regime failed to meet the desired result due to absence of good communication. It was only in 1914 that the British Government thought of treating these areas as a separate frontier tract to be administered somewhat differently from the rest of Assam. Consequently, the Assam Frontier Tracts Regulation, 1880 was extended to the North East Frontier Tracts and the Tracts were declared as “Excluded Areas” of Assam. They were administered by the Governor of Assam through the political officer in his discretion.

When the Constitution of India came into force in 1950, another change was effected in the administrative set up. The Government of Assam was relieved of its responsibility of looking after administration of the “Excluded Areas”. However, the discretionary power was vested in the Governor of Assam, who served as the agent of the President of the Republic of India. In 1954, all these tracts formed into the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). On the enactment of North Eastern Area (Reorganization) Act 1971, NEFA was made Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh on 21st January 1972. On 20th February 1987, Arunachal Pradesh was made a full fledged state within the Indian Union.