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Goa was given the status of a full-fledged state by the:
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Answer: Option A — 56th Amendment Act, 1987
Detailed Solution
Goa was a Portuguese colony for about 450 years, from 1510, when Afonso de Albuquerque captured it, until 1961. Even after India became independent in 1947, Portugal refused to give up Goa, Daman and Diu. Finally, in December 1961, India took control of these territories through a military action called "Operation Vijay". Goa is celebrated as having been liberated on 19 December 1961, now observed as Goa Liberation Day.
The 12th Amendment Act, 1962 made Goa, Daman and Diu a Union Territory and added it to the First Schedule of the Constitution.
In 1987, the 56th Amendment Act was passed. It made Goa a separate, full-fledged state, the 25th state of India, on 30 May 1987, which is celebrated as Goa Statehood Day. Daman and Diu remained a Union Territory. The Amendment added Article 371-I, which provides that the Legislative Assembly of Goa shall have not less than 30 members. The present Goa Assembly has 40 members.
In the same year, Konkani, the main language of Goa, was made the official language of the state, and in 1992 it was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution by the 71st Amendment. Panaji is the capital of Goa. Goa is the smallest state of India by area.
In 2020, the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and of Daman and Diu were merged into a single Union Territory.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The 55th Amendment (1986) gave statehood to Arunachal Pradesh.
- ✗The 36th Amendment (1975) made Sikkim a full state of India.
- ✗The 12th Amendment (1962) made Goa, Daman and Diu a Union Territory.
Quick tip
Remember: Goa = liberated 19 December 1961, UT by the 12th Amendment (1962), state by the 56th Amendment (30 May 1987), Article 371-I; Konkani added to the 8th Schedule in 1992.
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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.