6-539: The Western India States Agency ( WISA ) was one of the agencies of British India . This agency was formed on 10 October 1924 as a part of the implementation of the Montague Chelmsford report on constitutional reforms. It was formed by merging the areas under the erstwhile Kathiawar , Cutch (covering only Kutch state) and Palanpur agencies. At one time or another between 1924 and 1944, 435 princely states were included in this agency, roughly covering
12-580: The Viceroy of India . The agencies varied in character from fully autonomous self-governing dependencies such as princely states , where the agent functioned mainly as a representative of the Viceroy, to tribal tracts which were integral parts of the British Empire and where the agent was completely in charge of law and order. The agent of a protected tract or princely state usually lived outside
18-590: The present Gujarat state, but only eighteen out of these were salute states . Some 163 Talukas and Estates were included in this Agency: these were mostly petty (e)states, some no larger than a town or village. The divisions of the Western India States Agency were : The city of Rajkot became the headquarters of this new agency and C.C. Watson became its first Agent to the Governor General of British India (AGG). Its boundary
24-557: The territory in his charge, as opposed to a Resident who usually lived within his confines and was frequently the District Collector of the adjoining British district. Civil and criminal justice in agencies were usually administered through locally made laws, and the Indian Penal Code was not applicable by default in these agencies. Political agencies were created, merged or abolished at different times during
30-539: Was modified twice, in 1933 and 1943. On 5 November 1944 it was merged with the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency to form the larger Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency . In 1924, Palanpur Agency was merged into the Western India States Agency and placed under the political control of the Government of India. The designation of Palanpur Agency was changed to Banas Kantha Agency in 1925 and Palanpur State
36-613: Was transferred to the Rajputana Agency in 1933. Also in 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency , except for Danta were included in this agency. In 1941, the area covered by this agency was 39,688 square miles (102,800 km) and the population was 52,20,011. Agencies of British India An agency of British India was an internally autonomous or semi-autonomous unit of British India whose external affairs were governed by an agent designated by
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