Indian Polity
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019
- 27 Nov 2019
- 3 min read
Why in News
Recently, a Bill to merge the Union Territories (UTs) of Daman and Diu (D&D) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) has been introduced in the Lok Sabha. It seeks to provide better delivery of services to the citizens of both Union Territories by improving efficiency and reducing paperwork.
Key Points
- Both UTs have two separate constitutional and administrative bodies which lead to a lot of duplicacy, inefficiency and wasteful expenditure.
- The merger will help in achieving the government’s goal to have Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.
- Both of them have small population and limited geographical area so the merger will not be challenging and the services of officers will be used efficiently.
- The move comes after the landmark decision of bifurcating the State of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Minimum Government, Maximum Governance
- It is the motto of the central government to achieve a citizen-friendly and accountable administration.
- It aims to bring Government closer to citizens so that they become active participants in the governance process and reduce their time and efforts.
- An important step for Good Governance is the simplification of procedures and processes in the Government so as to make the entire system transparent and faster.
- Identification and repeal of obsolete laws and rules, identification and shortening of various official forms, leveraging technology to bring in transparency in public interface and a robust public grievance redress system are other aspects of it.
Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- These two UTs are located in the western region of India.
- Daman and Diu are two widely separated districts situated on the southern side of Gujarat. Daman is an enclave on Gujarat’s southern coast and Diu encompasses an island off the southern coast of Gujarat’s Kathiawar Peninsula. It is in close proximity of the UT of DNH.
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli consists of two separate parts. Dadra is surrounded by the state of Gujarat and Nagar Haveli lies on the borders of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
- Both were colonised by the Portuguese and were liberated in December 1961.
- In 1987, when Goa got statehood, Daman and Diu were made a separate Union Territory from the previous Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.
