Indian States and Union Territories

Arunachal Pradesh was previously known as NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) until it was renamed and granted statehood in 1987. Assam, Sikkim, and Manipur were never called NEFA - these are separate northeastern states with their own distinct identities.

Tamil Nadu was known as Madras State from 1956 until 1969, when it was officially renamed to Tamil Nadu to reflect the predominant language and cultural identity of the region. This is a straightforward historical fact about Indian state formation.

Tamil Nadu inaugurated India's first green legislature building, incorporating sustainable architecture, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient systems. Green buildings minimize environmental impact through resource efficiency and sustainable design. This initiative demonstrates government commitment to environmentally responsible infrastructure.

The Union Territories of India include Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (merged in 2020), along with Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir. Option D correctly names two UTs.

Surjit Singh Barnala served as the first Governor of Uttarakhand (then called Uttaranchal) when the state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. The spelling 'Zharkhand' in option A is incorrect (should be Jharkhand).

Nalanda University, an ancient center of learning, is located in Bihar. However, the question contains a historical error - Nalanda was NOT started by Lord Buddha. It was established in the 5th century AD during the Gupta period, centuries after Buddha's time. While the location (Bihar) is correct, the historical claim is inaccurate.

The Kuki tribe is primarily found in Manipur, particularly in the hill districts. They are one of the major ethnic groups in the northeastern state. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Jammu and Kashmir have different tribal populations.

The Sundarbans delta is in West Bengal. This UNESCO World Heritage site is formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers, with the majority in West Bengal, India, and the rest in Bangladesh.

Gujarat does not have a legislative council (Vidhan Parishad). Among the options, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu have legislative councils, while Gujarat has a unicameral legislature with only the Legislative Assembly.

Odisha (formerly Orrissa) is home to the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur and Wheeler Island, which are India's primary missile testing facilities. These sites are used by DRDO for testing various missiles including Agni, Prithvi, and Akash missiles. Other states like Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh do not have major missile testing ranges.

Chandigarh serves as the shared capital for both Punjab and Haryana. This is a unique arrangement in India where one city serves as the capital of two different states. Other pairs listed (Sikkim-Assam, J&K-Punjab, Andhra-Chhattisgarh) do not share capitals.

Andhra Pradesh became the first state in India to be formed on a linguistic basis in 1953, carved out of the Telugu-speaking areas of the former Madras Presidency. This followed the Potti Sriramulu fasting agitation and death, which demanded a separate state for Telugu speakers. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 later created more states based on language. Note: 'it's' in the question should be 'its'.

Silent Valley National Park is located in Kerala, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It's known for its pristine tropical evergreen forests and was the site of a famous conservation movement in the 1970s against a proposed hydroelectric project.

The first underground hydel project in Asia is the Nathpa Jhakri Dam, located in Himachal Pradesh on the Sutlej River. This 1500 MW capacity project was a major engineering milestone. Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand also have hydel projects, but not Asia's first underground one.