Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu


Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is a union territory in western India. It was created through the merger of the former union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Plans for the proposed merger were announced by the Government of India in July 2019 and the necessary legislation was passed in the Parliament of India in December 2019 and came into effect on 26 January 2020. The territory is made up of four separate geographical entities Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and the island of Diu. All four areas were part of Portuguese India and came under Indian administration in the mid-20th century.

History

were under Portuguese administration from the 1500s until they were annexed by India in 19 December 1961. Dadra and Nagar Haveli were under Portuguese administration between 1818 until they were captured by pro-India forces in 1954 and were formally annexed to India on 11 August 1961. Portugal officially recognised Indian sovereignty over the areas in 1974 following the Carnation Revolution.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli was administered as a de-facto state, Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli, before becoming a union territory in 1961. Daman and Diu were administered as part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu between 1962 and 1987, becoming a separate union territory when Goa was granted statehood.
In July 2019, the Government of India proposed merging the two territories into a single union territory in order to reduce duplication of services and reduce the cost of administration. Legislation to this effect, the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Act, 2019, was tabled in the Parliament of India on 26 November 2019 and assented to by the President of India on 9 December 2019. The two union territories had previously shared a common administrator and government officials. The town of Daman was chosen to be the capital of the new combined union territory. The appointed day for the act to come into effect was notified as 26 January 2020 by the Government of India.

Geography

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is composed of four distinct areas located in Western India. Dadra is a small enclave within the state of Gujarat. Nagar Haveli is a C shaped enclave located between the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra which contains a counter enclave of Gujarat around the village of Maghval. Daman is an enclave on the coast of Gujarat and Diu is an island off the coast of Gujarat.

Administration

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is administered as a union territory of India by virtue of of the Constitution of India. The President of India appoints an administrator to administer the territory on behalf of the central Government of India. The central government may appoint advisers to assist the administrators with their duties.

Districts

The union territory is made up of three districts:
№DistrictArea,
км²		Population,
Density,
per/км²
1Daman District72190,8552,650.76
2Diu District4052,0561,301.40
3Dadra and Nagar Haveli District491342,853698.27
Total603585,764971.42

Law enforcement and justice

Law enforcement within the territory is the responsibility of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Police. The territory falls under the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court.

In the Parliament of India

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu sends two members to the lower house of the Indian parliament the Lok Sabha. The territory is divided into the constituencies of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.