Q. Consider the following statements with reference to the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
1. Before independence, Dadra and Nagar Haveli was ruled by French.
2. 10th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1961 incorporated Dadra and Nagar Haveli as a union territory under the Government of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is incorrect. The Portuguese ruled Dadra and Nagar Haveli territory until its liberation in 1954. Subsequently, the administration was carried on till 1961 by an administrator chosen by the people themselves. Dadra and Nagar Haveli were small undefended Portuguese overseas territories, part of Portuguese India since 1779. The territories were enclaves, without any access to the sea, administered by the Portuguese Governor of the district of Damão.
Statement 2 is correct. The Constitution (Tenth Amendment) Act, 1961, incorporated Dadra and Nagar Haveli as the seventh Union territory of India, by amending the First Schedule to the Constitution. It also amended clause (1) of article 240 of the Constitution to include the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in order to enable the President to “make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of the territory”.
