The UnionHome Ministry on Thursday announced that the two separate Union TerritoriesDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu will become one Union Territory (UT)on January 26.

The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the just-concluded winter session of Parliament.

TheHome Ministry, through an extraordinary Gazette notification, issued byadditional Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday, said, "In exercise of the powersconferred by clause (a) of section 2 of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Damanand Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Act, 2019 (44 of 2019), the CentralGovernment hereby appoints the 26th day of January, 2020, as the appointed dayfor the purposes of the said Act".

After the merger, the new UT will be known as Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.