Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Merger Bill 2019

Dadra & Nagar Haveli, often known as Daman & Diu, is an Indian union territory (UT) in the western region. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the Arabian Sea all share the UT's borders. The Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli were combined into one in January 2020 by the Indian government. The coastline present in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu or the Dadra Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu is 27 km and this UT contains 7 landing centers.

The UT holds a strong presence in the plastic, textile and marine product sectors. Also, it is a leader in plasticizers and contributes up to 28% of the plastic production of India in the form of households, aerospace, greenhouses, medical, non-conventional energy and defense. The Industrial Policy of 2015 further aims to promote quality and durable products, which can be recycled in the future. Daman is daman and diu capital. And Silvassa is the dadra and nagar haveli capital.

Let us learn more about dadar and nagar haveli daman and diu merger bill 2019.

History of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli

Let us look at the history of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli in detail.

The Dadra & Nagar Haveli area spread about 491.00 sq. km. It is a landlocked Union Territory between North Gujarat and south Maharashtra. It had earned freedom from Portuguese Rulers on Aug 02, 1954.

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The administration of Dadra & Nagar Haveli was initially free of Indian influence, but in 1961, this Union Territory was integrated into the Union of India.

The entire population of Dadra and Nagar Haveli was given as 343,709, as per the reports of 2011. About 94% of the population of this Union Territory belongs to Hinduism. The Official languages of this UT are given as Gujarati and Hindi.

History of Daman and Diu

Daman & Diu was said to be under the Portuguese Rulers’ control for over four centuries. On Dec 19, 1961, it was liberated from the control of the Portuguese. Initially, it was said to be part of the UT of Goa, but when Goa attained statehood, the Daman and Diu’s Union Territory came into existence on May 30, 1987.

Daman is daman and diu capital, whereas Silvassa is the dadar and nagar haveli capital. The entire area of the UT is up to 112 km2, whereas the total population is up to 242,911 (as per the 2011 census). Here, 90% of the people belong to Hinduism, and 8% of them belong to Islam.

Gujarati is the mother tongue of most of the population of the territory. Up to 36% speak Hindi and 50% of people speak Gujarati.

The Union Territory of Daman & Diu contains two districts, namely, Daman and Diu. The area of Diu is given as 40 km2 and Daman holds an area of 70 KM2.

Whereas now, the Union Territory of Daman & Diu has been merged with the Union Territory, and the Dadra and Nagar Haveli, including the new UT, will be referred to as Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu with effect from the time Jan 26, 2020. Therefore, from now onwards, the UTs of both Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu are said to be just a single UT.

The merger (dadra and nagar haveli merger with daman and diu) of these two specific UTs occurs by the Dadra and Nagar Haveli or the Dadra Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu and also the Daman and Diu (which is the Merger of Union Territories) Bill in the year 2019. This particular bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Dec 03, 2019, and the Lok Sabha on Nov 27, 2019.

Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (the Merger of Union Territories - dadra and nagar haveli merger with daman and diu) Bill, 2019 key Provisions are given as follows.

Population

Up to four-fifths of the population consists of multiple indigenous peoples (officially recognized as the Scheduled Tribes), the most number of which are the Dhodia, Varli, and Konkan. These distinct communities speak a variety of dialects and languages, in addition to Marathi and Gujarati, which are also spoken in the same region. The population is predominantly Hindu, with minority Muslim and Christian minorities.

Chief Occupation

Farming is given as the chief occupation, and it is largely practiced by the indigenous people, most of them, who live in the rural areas. The majority of the cultivation is completed on terraced land. Ragi and Rice (Ragi - also referred to as finger millet) are the primary food crops. Sugarcane and sugarcane wheat are also grown. A reservoir and dam present on the Daman Ganga River in neighboring Gujarat significantly has extended irrigation in the territory. Timber production is majorly centered on the valuable native teak.

There is also very little large-scale industry; industrial parks have been built in Khadoli, Mashat, and elsewhere to produce chemicals, fabrics, and electronics, among other things. Industrial growth has resulted in an influx of labor rather than benefiting the local population directly.

An elected district panchayat oversees the daily affairs. However, its duties are subject to the administrator of both Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu union territory.

The Lead of Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu are India's leading integrated polyester hubs and textile mills, producing 80 percent of the country's texturing yarn

In both Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, up to 1,500 mechanized and trawler boats are engaged in fishing in the union territory. Shrimps, Indian mackerel, oil sardines, cephalopods, croakers, Bombay duck, and other sardines, as well as threadfin breams, are among the marine catch.

As there exists a large scope of investment in processing, packaging, preservation and export of coastal fish in the union territory, the local administration at that place is expected to provide better infrastructure facilities such as preservation, processing infrastructure, fishery harbor, and cold chain with the insulation transport facilities.

Major Initiatives to Promote Dadra & Nagar Haveli 

Following are a few of the primary initiatives to promote both Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu as the investment destination. They can be given as:

• The 2018 Industrial Policy (as announced by the Union Territory Administration) provides a strong incentive for both job creation and industrial growth.

• According to the Union Budget 2021-22, the Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated INR 139.78 crore (or USD 19.26 million) to carry out multiple schemes in the education sector and INR 238.07 crore (or USD 32.80 million) for multiple schemes related to the bridge and roads to both Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

• In Dec 2020, Hindalco Industries announced plans to set up 34,000 tonnes. 

• Aluminium extrusion plant at Silvassa with a worth of INR 730 crore (or USD 99.28 million).

• The proposed eight-lane Baroda-Mumbai expressway, which will pass through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra Dadra & Nagar Haveli, thereby opening the UT to the initial investments

Amendment of the Constitution

The First Schedule of the Indian Constitution indicates the territories, which come under multiple UTs and states. 

The 2019 Merger Bill (dadra and nagar haveli merger with daman and diu) changes the Constitution's First Schedule to unite two territories: (1) Dadra and Nagar Haveli and (2) Daman and Diu. Therefore, now, the single UT would be referred to as the Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and UT of Dadra.

Both the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the Daman and Diu (Union Territories Merger) Bills of 2019 amended Article 240 (1) of the Constitution to unite these two UTs into one.

Representation of new UT in Lok Sabha

Every UT has one Lok Sabha seat under the Representation of the People Act of 1950, but following the merger, the merged UT would have two Lok Sabha seats.

Jurisdiction of the High Court: There exists no change in this regard, and the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court will proceed to extend to the merged UT. 

Thus, the Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (which is the Merger of Union Territories) Bill of 2019 was summarised in a few words. Also, this topic is very important for competitive exams such as IAS. Daman is the capital of dadar and nagar haveli and daman and diu.