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Question 29 of 42 · Constitutional Amendments
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SSC

Goa, Daman and Diu, liberated from Portuguese rule in December 1961, were incorporated into the First Schedule as a Union Territory by the:

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Answer: Option C — 12th Amendment Act, 1962

Detailed Solution

The 12th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1962, incorporated Goa, Daman and Diu into the Indian Union as a Union Territory, with retrospective effect from 20 December 1961.

Background:

  • Goa had been under Portuguese rule since 1510, when Afonso de Albuquerque captured it from the Sultan of Bijapur; Daman and Diu were also Portuguese possessions.
  • After Indian independence, Portugal refused to hand over these territories, claiming that they were overseas provinces of Portugal.
  • The Goan freedom movement and satyagrahas from India did not succeed in persuading Portugal.

Operation Vijay (December 1961):

  • On 18-19 December 1961, the Indian armed forces carried out Operation Vijay, and the Portuguese Governor-General surrendered on 19 December 1961.
  • 19 December is celebrated as Goa Liberation Day.

The 12th Amendment:

  • It amended the First Schedule to include Goa, Daman and Diu as a Union Territory.
  • It also amended Article 240, so that the President could make regulations for the territory.

Later developments:

  • In 1963, Goa, Daman and Diu got a Legislative Assembly under the Government of Union Territories Act.
  • In a referendum (the "Opinion Poll"), the people of Goa voted against merging with Maharashtra, and chose to remain a separate Union Territory.
  • The 56th Amendment Act, 1987, made Goa a full-fledged state (the 25th state of India) on 30 May 1987, while Daman and Diu remained a Union Territory.
  • In 2020, Daman and Diu was merged with another Union Territory.

Goa today:

  • Its capital is Panaji, and its official language is Konkani.
  • It is the smallest state of India by area.
  • It is famous for its beaches, churches (such as the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the Goa Carnival.
  • It has a common civil code from Portuguese times.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The 10th Amendment dealt with another former Portuguese territory; the 13th Amendment created Nagaland; the 56th Amendment made Goa a state.

Quick tip

Remember: 12th Amendment (1962) = Goa, Daman and Diu made a Union Territory (liberated on 19 December 1961 by Operation Vijay); 56th Amendment (1987) = Goa a state.

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Constitutional Amendments — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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