Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Merger of Union Territories Act 2019

Suddenly, we realised that there are only 8 Union Territories now in India even after adding two new Union Territories, i.e., Kashmir and Ladakh. Under Union Territories Act, 2019, two Union Territories, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, had been joined and formed as a single UT. This section will discuss the reasons and aims of the Union Territories Merger Act, 2019. This bill was passed in both houses, i.e., Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, on 27 November 2019 and 3 December 2019. 

As a result, there are now 28 States and 8 Union Territories in India. 

Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman And Diu (Merger Of Union Territories) Act, 2019

The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merger act, 2019, has been passed in the Parliament and will now be brought up for President’s assent. It will bring Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu under one union territory. The Act will also subsume the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu under the Union Territory of Gujarat administration. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merger act, 2019, will be effective from the date of its assent by the President.

The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merger will be the first union territory in the country to be merged with a metropolitan city on linguistic lines. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merger act 2019 will bring these union territories together to form one larger entity. The new Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will be administered by a Chief Minister, who the President will appoint. This new state will have over 1.3 million, spread over an area of 29,500 sq km. It will span the earlier areas under the Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu.

Key Proposals of the Merger of Union Territories Act

The Union Territories Act has replaced the existing laws with a single set of ordinances regulating the territories. This will provide legal certainty to the territories and make the administration more effective. The new act has also brought about a change in the way the Lieutenant Governor presides over the administration of the union territories.

Reasons for Merging the Union Territories in India

The union territories of India are the territories directly under the control of the Central Government in Delhi. The territories were originally set up as separate administration units in the British Raj but have since been brought under the state and central governments. The territories are administered by a Chief Minister and a Council of Ministers, appointed by the President of India. The territories are also represented in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament.

India is a federation of states, and therefore the responsibility of running the day-to-day administration of the country rests with the states.

Merging the union territories into the states of India was one of the most important decisions taken by the Constituent Assembly. The decision was based on the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission, which suggested that the states should be formed based on language, geography, population, and history. 

Hence, easier administration was the main reason for merging the Union Territories. 

Aim of the Merger of Union Territories Act

The merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu into a single union territory will improve the delivery of government services to the people of these territories. The newly formed union territory will have better governance and administration, be better equipped to deal with development issues and disasters, and have better access to resources, which will allow them to have a better life.

The merger of the Union Territories will reduce the size of the federal Government, streamline administration and increase efficiency. The merger will also bring to fruition the constitutional provision that the Union Territories be “integral and integral parts of the Federal Republic of India.” The merger will also better position the Union Territories to provide better services to their residents. The following examines the key proposals of the Merger of the Union Territories Act.

Conclusion

The Union territories merger act, 2019, was passed by the Parliament of India on November 27, 2019, to combine two Union Territories, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli. This act will replace the existing merger act of 1995. The main objective of the new act is to create one union territory instead of the existing one. The new act will also replace the existing state and district formation act by the Indian government.

As a whole, good to go decisions taken by the Central Government for better governance and an easier way to provide facilities.