As per recent reports, the Modi government has introduced the Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill 2019 in the lower house of the Parliament. The Bill seeks to merge the two Union Territories- Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu. It was introduced by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishen Reddy. The new merged Union Territory that will come up once this Bill is passed by the Parliament would come to be known as Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. Its headquarters are expected to be in Daman and Diu.
The underlying object of the move is to check duplication of efforts and to streamline administration across the two Union Territories. While Dadar and Nagar Haveli consists of just one district, Daman & Diu has two. Both these Union Territories are situated on the western coast of the state of Gujarat. Both the Union Territories are pretty small in size and to keep them separate is an unnecessary duplication of efforts when it comes to administration.
As of now, the two Union Territories have separate secretariats and budgets. However, even the merged Union Territory that will come up, if and when the Bill for merging the two Union Territories is passed, will consist only of three districts. And it is needless to say that such an entity can be effectively administered. There will no longer be any need to maintain separate secretariats and other administrative apparatus for the Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. This is, therefore, going to be yet another administrative reform on the part of the Modi government.
This move is going to add up to an impressive list of administrative reforms initiated by the NDA governments (Vajpayee and Modi governments) in the form of unification/ bifurcation of existing States and Union Territories. As opposed to the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana bifurcation during the UPA era, which was carried out in an abrupt manner, the BJP led governments have been able to carry out bifurcations in a smooth and efficient manner. During the Vajpayee era, three states- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were bifurcated without any protests or violence. This year, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 and divided the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir into newly created Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. To add up to its impressive list of such reorganisational reforms, the Modi government now seems all set to merge Daman & Diu and Dadar & Nagar Haveli.
