Political integration of India Political integration of India At the time of Indian independence in 1947, India was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule, and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown, with control over their internal affairs remaining in the hands of their hereditary rulers. The latter included 554 princely states, having different types of revenue sharing arrangements with the British, often depending on their size, population and local conditions. In addition, there were several colonial enclaves controlled by France and Portugal. The political integration of these territories into India was a declared objective of the
Secretary of State for India Secretary of State for India The Secretary of State for India or India Secretary was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of the British Raj (India), Aden, and Burma. The post was created in 1858 when the East India Company's rule in Bengal ended and India except for the Princely States was brought under the direct administration of the government in London, beginning the official colonial period under the British Empire. In 1937, the India Office was reorganised which separated Burma and Aden under a new Burma Office, but the