Formation of Jharkhand State

 The Prime Minister paid tribute to the chief of the tribe, Birsa Munda, on the 10th anniversary of his birth on November 15. Jharkhand, carved from Bihar, was formally established on Munda’s birthday in 2000.

Highlights:

♦ The name "Jharkhand" means "Forest Land". November 15, 2000-the birthday anniversary of the legendary Bhagwan Birsa Munda, the state was established under the Bihar State Reorganization Act.

♦ Jharkhand shares borders with Bihar in the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the north, Orissa in the south and West Bengal in the east.

♦ Most of the state is located on the Chotanagpur Plateau, which is the birthplace of the Koel, Damodar, Brahmani, Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers, and its upper basin is located in Jharkhand.

♦ The forest protects the habitat of tigers and Asian elephants (Betra National Park). Jharkhand holds 40% and 29% of India’s mineral and coal reserves, respectively. Jharkhand has 32 tribal groups, including Munda, Cole, Santare, Oran, Comte, Azul, Gunde, etc.

Birsa Munda:

Munda was born on November 15, 1875, belonged to the Munda tribe in the Chotanagpur Plateau area. Birsa Munda, also known as Dharti Aaba (Father of the Earth), mobilized tribal communities against Britain and forced colonial officials to enact laws to protect tribal land rights. Birsa died of cholera in the jail.