Birth anniversary of Birsa Munda was observed on November 15th.

1.In recognition of his impact on the national movement, the state of Jharkhand was created on his birth anniversary in 2000.

Who was he?

Bisra Munda was a folk hero and a tribal freedom fighter hailing from the Munda tribe. He was a spearhead behind the Millenarian movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand belt in the 19th century under the British colonisation. He is also known as ‘Dharti

Birsait:

Bisra wanted to reform the tribal society and so, he urged them to let go of beliefs in witchcraft and instead, stressed on the importance of prayer, staying away from alcohol, having faith in God and observing a code of conduct. Based on these, he started the faith of ‘Birsait’.

Achievements:

Bisra started a movement called ‘Ulgulan’, or ‘The Great Tumult’. His struggle against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to a big hit against the British government in the form of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act being passed in 1908. The act restricted the passing on of land from the tribal people to non-tribals.

Statehood Day of Jharkhand

The State was formed in 2000. The state accounts to more than 40% of mineral resources of India. Jharkhand is the second leading producer of minerals after Chhattisgarh. However, around 39.1% of population in Jharkhand is below poverty line. Though rich in resources, the state is underdeveloped. This scenario is called ‘Resource Curse”. Also, this is the main reason for Jharkhand to emerge as the centre of Naxalite Maoist insurgency.

According to the 1991 census, the state has a population of 20 million. Of these 28% are tribal and 12% belong to scheduled castes. Only 45% of Jharkhand had access to electricity. Forests occupy more than 29% of the state and is the highest in India. This makes it easier for the Maoists and Naxalites and hence the insurgencies is at the highest in the region.