White Paper on Indian States (1950)/Part 8/Indian State Forces

by Ministry of States, Government of India

Indian State Forces

176. The position of the Indian State Forces in the new set-up has an important bearing on the question of the readjustment of the fiscal relationship between the Centre and the States. These forces constitute a body of troops maintained by certain States under conditions, and in conformity with regulations, laid down by the Government of India. The scheme governing the maintenance of Indian State Forces assigned to them a definite role in the overall defence structure of India and provided for the maintenance by them of appropriate standards of efficiency, equipment etc.

177. The number of the States which maintained armed forces before August 15, 1947, was 44. Since then, a number of these States have been merged and with the coming into operation of the new Constitution of India, there are only eight States, namely, the five Unions and the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad and Mysore, which still have units of armed forces. So far as the merged States are concerned, the I.S.F. units of the erstwhile Kutch, Kolhapur and Baroda States, of the Gujarat States merged with Bombay, and of the States forming Himachal Pradesh, have been integrated with the Indian Army. The absorption in the Indian army of the forces of the other merged States is now under way.

178. So far as the Unions of States are concerned, the present position is that except in Travancore-Cochin the authority in respect of the forces of the Unions vests in the Rajpramukh, but in the exercise of this authority, he is subject to any directions or instructions that may from time to time be issued by the Government of India.

179. The future organisation of the States Forces has been receiving the attention of the Government of India. For this purpose a series of conferences were held with the Rajpramukhs in 1948 and 1949. As a result, full agreement has been reached about the future treatment of these forces, and agreed scheme has been drawn up. The main features of this scheme are:

(i) that these forces will be commanded by an officer of the Indian Army lent to the Rajpramukh for the purpose;

(ii) that the strengths and organisation of these forces will be fixed with reference to the role which they will play in the defence of India as well;

(iii) that in consequence there should be a reconstitution and reorganisation of these forces on the pattern of the Indian Army:

(iv) that officers will hereafter be selected through the same machinery and in the same manner as for the Indian Army; the extra number will accordingly be selected, trained and commissioned by the Government of India and appointed by the Rajpramukhs of the respective Unions;

(v) that promotions etc. will be made on the same lines as they are made in the Indian Army; and

(vi) that there will be a certain amount of inter-changeability of officers between the Indian Army and the State Forces.

180. These forces will immediately come under the operational command of the Indian Army Commands in whose area the Unions are located. It is intended to complete the process of reorganisation by the end of 1951 when the forces of the Unions of States will in all respects, including pay and allowances, organisation, etc. be on a par with the Indian Army units. As a result of the agreements concluded with the States and Unions in regard to the federal financial integration the expenditure for these forces will, as from the date on which the federal financial integration takes place, be a charge on the revenues of India.

To give legal cover to this arrangement, a special provision has been made in the new Constitution of India (Article 259) to the following effect:

"(1) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, a State specified in Part B of the First Schedule having any Armed Forces immediately before the commencement of this Constitution may, until Parliament by law otherwise provides, continue to maintain the said Fores after such commencement subject to such general or special orders as the President may from time to time issue in that behalf.

(2) Any such Armed Forces as are referred to in clause (1) shall form part of the Armed Forces of the Union".