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failure;onSeptember17IndianforcesoccupiedHyderbd,thecapitalcity,endingthenizams

resistance.HesubsequentlysignedinstrumentsofaccessionmakingHyderbdpartoftheUnionof
India.

AlthoughIndiaandPakistanagreed,inJuly1949,onalinedemarcatingtheirrespectivezonesof

occupationinKashmir,thetwostateswereunabletoreconcilebasicdifferencesonthetermsofthe
proposedplebiscite.ThedeadlockwasprimarilyduetoIndianinsistencethatPakistanitroopsbe

withdrawnfromthedisputedterritorybeforetheplebisciteandtoPakistansrefusaltowithdrawits
troopsunlesstheIndiansalsowithdrewtheirs.

FirstYearsasaRepublic

TheIndianConstituentAssemblyapprovedarepublicanconstitutionfortheUniononNovember26,
1949.Comprisingapreamble,395articles,and8schedules,thedocumentprovedtobemore

voluminousthananyotherbodyoforganiclawinexistence.Oneoftheconstitutionsfeaturesisa

clauseoutlawinguntouchability,theancientpracticeofcastethatcondemnedabout40millionHindus
tosocialandeconomicdegradation.TheGandhidiscipleandAll-IndiaCongressleaderRajendra

PrasadwaselectedfirstPresidentoftheRepublicinJanuary1950.Asprovidedbytheconstitution,
theRepublicwasformallyproclaimedonJanuary26.TheConstituentAssemblythenreconstituted
itselfasaprovisionalparliamentandJawaharlalNehruwaselectedPrimeMinister.

Q1

Non-Alignment

DuringitsfirstyearasaRepublic,Indiafiguredincreasinglyininternationalaffairs,especiallyinUN

deliberationsandactivities.Nehrusgovernment,adheringtopoliciesdevelopedinthepre-republican
period,maintainedagenerallyneutralpositionwithrespecttotheColdWarbetweentheSovietbloc
andtheWesterndemocracies.Indiandeterminationtoavoidentanglementwitheithersidebecame

increasinglyapparentfollowingtheoutbreakoftheKoreanWarinJune1950.SubsequentlytheIndian
governmentapprovedtheUNSecurityCouncilresolutioninvokingmilitarysanctionsagainstNorth

Korea;noIndiantroopswerecommittedtotheUNcause,however.BeginninginJuly,whenNehru
despatchednotesontheKoreansituationtotheUnitedStatesandtheUnionofSovietSocialist

Republics(USSR),IndiasoughtrepeatedlytorestorepeaceintheFarEast.Initsinitialattemptsat

mediation,theIndiangovernmentsuggestedthatadmissionoftheChinesePeoplesRepublictothe

UNwasaprerequisiteofasolutionoftheFarEasterncrisis.EvenaftertheChineseinterventioninthe
KoreanWar,anddespiteIndian-ChinesedifferencesoverTibet,Indiaadheredtothisviewbutitwas
rejectedbyamajorityoftheSecurityCouncil.InOctober1950,afteraChinesearmyinvadedTibet,
theIndiangovernmentdispatchedanotetoChinaexpressingsurpriseandregret.

Q2

ForeignAid

Outstandingamongdomesticeventsduringthefirstyearofrepublicanrulewasaseriesofnatural
disasters,notablyanextendeddroughtinsouthernIndiaandsevereearthquakesandfloodsin

Assam.About6milliontonnesofgrainandotherfoodstuffswerelost,accordingtoanofficialestimate

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