Indian State of Goa

 

After India gained independence from the British in 1947, India requested that Portuguese territories on the Indian subcontinent be ceded to India. Portugal refused to negotiate on the sovereignty of its Indian enclaves.

On December 19,1961, the Indian Army began military operations with Operation Vijay resulting in the annexation of Goa,Daman and Diu into the Indian union. Goa, along with Daman and Diu, was organized as a centrally administered Union Territory of India.

On May 30,1987, the union territory was split, and Goa was made India's 25th State, with Daman and Diu remaining a union territory

Goa is located in the West India Region of the Konkan bounded by the State of Maharashtra to the north, and by State of Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.

Goa is India's smallest State by Area and the 4th Smallest by Population

Goa is India's richest state with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country as a whole

Panaji is the state's capital and Vasco da Gama is the largest city

The Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987 makes Konkani  in the Devanagari script the sole official language of Goa, but provides that Marathi may also be used "for all or any of the official purposes".

Konkani is spoken as a native language by about 61% of the people in the state but almost all Goans can speak and understand Konkani. Other linguistic minorities in the state as per the 2001 census are speakers of Marathi (19%), Kannada (7%), Hindi (5%), and Urdu(4%)

As per the 2011 census, Goa has a Literacy Rate of 87%, with 90% of males and 84% of females being literate

Goa  is divided into 2 Districts - North Goa and South Goa

Goa has two seats in the Lok Sabha, one representing each district, and one seat in the Rajya Sabha

Goa has a Unicameral Legislature consisting of a 40-member Legislative Assembly,, headed by a Chief Minister who wields the Executive Power.

The ruling government consists of the party or coalition garnering the most number of seats in the state elections and enjoying the support of a simple majority of the House