| Goa, the 25th State in
the Union of States of India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in
1961. It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman & Diu till 30 May
1987 when it was carved out to form a separate State. Goa covers an
area of 3702 square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and South Goa. Boundaries of Goa State are defined in
the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra, in the
East and South by Karnataka State and West by Arabian Sea. Goa lies
in Western Coast of India and is 594 Kms (by road) away from Mumbai
city. Goa, for the purpose of revenue administration is divided into
district viz. North and South Goa with headquarters at Panaji and
Margao respectively.
The entire State comprises 11 talukas. For the
purpose of implementation of development programmes the State is
divided into 12 community development blocks. As per 2001 census,
the population of the State is 13,42,998. Administratively the State
is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas
with a total area of 1736 sq. kms. and South Goa comprising five
talukas with an area of 1966 sq. kilometers. In all there are 383
villages of which 233 are in North Goa district and 15 in South Goa
district. As per the 2001 census, there are 44 towns of which 14 are
Municipalities and remaining are census towns.
Goa has a Legislative Assembly of 40 members. The state assembly
used to meet in the historic Secretariat Building in Panaji. But
since the last few years, the fabulous new Assembly complex, just
across the Mandovi is the new meeting place of Goa's legislators.
Elections for the 40 member state government are staggered so as not
to coincide with the panchayat elections. Typically, five or six
panchayats are grouped together and the electoral district returns a
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Elections are held every
five years. The assembly elects a Chief Minister, sometimes a deputy
chief-minister and other ministers who form the cabinet. The
Government is headed by the Chief Minister and the Central
Government is represented by the Governor.
The Chief Minister is free in almost all matters of policy but he
and the assembly are answerable to the state Governor, appointed by
the president of India. Goa is represented in the Indian Parliament
in New Delhi, by two Members of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha
(House of the People) and one in the Rajya Sabha (Council of
States). Elections to these are also held once in five years
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