[3][4] The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated in commemoration of the Indian armed forces annexing Portuguese-ruled Goa in 1961,[5] after which India was free of any European rule.

[6][7] Goa was annexed by the Indian Army on 19 December 1961 after 451 years of Portuguese rule.

[8] The movement for independence in the 19th century in India had a smaller impact in Goa as well, with a few residents of participating in Satyagraha up to the 1960s.

[9] India didn't take any military action then, as it was more concerned with integrating the Princely States.

[11] In 2021, the observance consisted of a women's parliament and a youth parliament and Narendra Modi inaugurated new projects like the Super Specialty Block at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, the renovated Fort Aguada Jail Museum in North Goa, Aviation Skill Development Center at Mopa Airport, the Gas-insulated Substation at Dabolim-Navelim, Margao, and the New South Goa District Hospital.