Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- For the Indian musical form, see Dadra.
: દાદરા અને નગર હવેલી, Marathi
: दादरा आणि नगर हवेली, ) is a Union Territory
in western India
. Nagar Haveli is wedged between Maharashtra
, 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.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli was a Portuguese
colony, administered by the Portuguese Governor of Daman
, from 1779
when the residents with some help from Indian volunteers, ended the Portuguese administration. Dadra and Nagar Haveli then 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. In 1961, 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. From 1954 to 1961, the territory was administered by a body called the Varishta Panchayat of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It became a Union territory in 1961
and is represented in the Parliament of India
: the Lower House (Lok Sabha
) and the Upper House (Rajya Sabha
). Later in 1961 when Indian forces took over Goa, Daman, and Diu, Mr. Badlani also took charge as Administrator of Daman along with Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The territory is administered by a Lieutenant Governor. An area of 188 sq mi
or 487 km²
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.
The excise tax is applicable in D&N.H. An exemption is only for sales taxes