Dadra and Nagar Haveli

Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Silvassa Location of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Country	India
District(s)	1
Established	1961-08-11
Capital	Silvassa
Administrator	R. K. Varma
Population • Density	220,451 (5th) • 453 /km2 (1,173 /sq mi)
Language(s)	Marathi, Gujarati
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	487 km2 (188 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	IN-DN
Website	dnh.nic.in
Seal of Dadra and Nagar Haveli

For the Indian musical form, see Dadra.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Gujarati: દાદરા અને નગર હવેલી, Marathi: दादरा आणि नगर हवेली, is a Union Territory in western India. Nagar Haveli is wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat, whereas Dadra is an enclave lying a few kilometres north of Nagar Haveli in Gujarat. Its capital is Silvassa.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli are in the watershed of the Daman Ganga River, which flows through the territory. The towns of Dadra and Silvassa both lie on the north bank of the river. The Western Ghats range rises to the east, and the foothills of the range occupy the eastern portion of the district. The territory is landlocked, although the Arabian Sea coast lies just to the west in Gujarat.

The major spoken languages in the territory are Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati.^[1]

History

Portuguese Era

Dadra and Nagar Haveli was a Portuguese colony, administered by the Portuguese Governor of Daman, from 1779 until 1954.

Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli

After India attained Independence in 1947, the residents of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with the help of volunteers of organsiations like the United Front of Goans (UFG), the National Movement Liberation Organisation (NMLO), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Azad Gomantak Dal liberated the territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli from Portuguese rule in 1954^[2].

Integration into India

Old map of the territory.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli became, in the eyes of international law, an independent country. The residents of the colony requested the Government of India for administrative help. Mr. K.G. Badlani, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was sent as the administrator.

From 1954 to 1961, the territory was administered by a body called the Varishta Panchayat of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli.^[3][4]

In 1961 when Indian forces took over Goa, Daman, and Diu, Mr. Badlani was, for one day, designated the Prime Minister of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, so that, as Head of State, he could sign an agreement with the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and formally merge Dadra and Nagar Haveli with the Republic of India.

Administration

A Lieutenant Governor administers the territory, which covers an area of 188 sq mi or 487 km² and consists of two talukas:

• Dadra
• Nagar Haveli

Dadra is the headquarters of Dadra taluka, comprising Dadra town and two other villages. Silvassa is the headquarters of Nagar Haveli taluka, comprising Silvassa town and 68 other villages.

Economy

Dadra and Nagar Haveli's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $218 million in current prices.

Manufacturing is the main economy in Dadra and Nagar Haveli as the taxes are low — no excise tax^{[citation needed]}. The excise tax is applicable in D&N.H. An exemption is only for sales taxes^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Government website
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli travel guide from Wikitravel

v • d • e States and territories of India States Andhra Pradesh · Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · Chhattisgarh · Goa · Gujarat · Haryana · Himachal Pradesh · Jammu and Kashmir · Jharkhand · Karnataka · Kerala · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Manipur · Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland · Orissa · Punjab · Rajasthan · Sikkim · Tamil Nadu · Tripura · Uttar Pradesh · Uttarakhand · West Bengal Union Territories Andaman and Nicobar Islands · Chandigarh · Dadra and Nagar Haveli · National Capital Territory of Delhi · Daman and Diu · Lakshadweep · Puducherry Disputed territories Territory disputed with Pakistan · Territory disputed with China