1961 in India

Incumbents

• President of India – Rajendra Prasad
• Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru
• Vice President of India - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• Chief Justice of India – Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha

  Governors

• Assam –
• Bihar –
• Gujarat –
• Karnataka –
• Kerala –
• Madhya Pradesh –
• Maharashtra –
• Odisha –
• Punjab –
• Rajasthan –
• Tamil Nadu –
• Telangana –
• Uttar Pradesh –
• West Bengal –

  Events

• 21 January - Queen Elizabeth II start of Royal visit
• 12 July - Panshet Dam bursts in Pune causing a massive flood in the city of Pune. Over 1,000 people die.
• 1 November – The Hungry generation movement is launched in Calcutta.
• 17 December – India reclaims Goa.
• 18 December – India reclaims Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao and Diu
• 19 December – Goa is officially ceded to India after 400 years of Portuguese rule.
• The Tenth and Eleventh Amendments of the Constitution of India
• Anti dowry Act

  Births

• 7 January – Supriya Pathak, actress.
• 12 June – Jagadish, actor.
• 6 July – Vandana Chavan, politician and lawyer

  Full date unknown

• V. M. Girija, poet.

  Deaths