Jai Jharkhand

The state of Jharkhand became a functioning reality on November 15, 2000 after almost half a century of people's movements around Jharkhandi identity, which disadvantaged societal groups articulated in order to augment political resources and influence the policy process in their favour. The Jharkhandi identity and the demand for autonomy was not premised solely on the uniqueness of its tribal cultural heritage, but was essentially a fallout of the failure of development policy to intervene in socio-economic conditions of both the adivasis and non-adivasis in the region.

Hence, even at present, the dynamics of resources and the politics of development largely influence the socio-economic structures in Jharkhand, which has been carved out of the relatively 'backward' southern part of undivided Bihar. According to the 1991 census, the state has a population of over twenty million out of which 28% is tribal while 12% of the people belong to scheduled castes. Jharkhand has 21 districts, 211 blocks and 32, 620 villages out of which only 45% are electrified while only 8,484 are connected by roads. Jharkhand is the leading producer of mineral wealth in the country, endowed as it is with vast variety of minerals like iron ore,coal, copper ore, mica, bauxite, graphite, limestone, and uranium. Jharkhand is also known for its vast forest resources.

This paradoxical development profile of Jharkhand is combined with the fact that distortions in distribution and access to resources have made little difference to lives of ordinary people. However, the people of the region are politically mobilized and self-conscious and are actively seeking better bargains for the state. The people in Jharkhand have the advantage of being culturally vibrant, as reflected in the diversity of languages spoken, festivals celebrated, and variety of folk music, dances, and other traditions of performing arts in the region.

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