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In 1930 Dr. António de Oliveira Salazar became the Prime Minister of Portugal. He was the architect of the Portuguese Colonial Act, which affected Portuguese India, differentiating them from the metropolitan Portuguese people. Because of this act the Portuguese Indians lost a great deal of benefits. These included free trips to Portugal for rest and recreation, their allowances became lower than those of the white officials, and other facilities that the white Portuguese had overseas were not available to Portuguese Indians.
The Portuguese Colonial Act of 1930 was repealed only in 1950, in part because of the contributions of Dr. Froilano de Mello. He was a Goan Catholic doctor and also an independent member of parliament in Lisbon. He represented Goa in the Assembly of the Republic. He fought for the rights of Portuguese Indians. De Mello was so successful that, from 1950, Goans regained their status and were treated in equal terms like other Portuguese citizens from the metropolis.