State Reorganisation, 15 November 2000

Jharkhand was created on 15 November 2000 under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000, ending a demand that had been raised in one form or another since 1915. Ranchi became the capital and Dumka the sub-capital.

Act — Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 | Appointed day — 15 November 2000 | 28th state of India

The final decade

• 1980s — bandhs and economic blockades by JMM, AJSU and allied groups
• 1987 — Jharkhand Coordination Committee unites dozens of organisations
• 1989 — a central committee examines the demand and reports on the region
• 1995 — the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council is set up as a compromise
• The council had limited powers and did not satisfy the movement
• 1998 to 2000 — the Bihar assembly and Parliament clear the reorganisation

How the state was created

• Parliament passed the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000
• The appointed day was fixed as 15 November 2000, Birsa Munda's birth anniversaryबार-बार पूछा जाता है
• 18 districts of south Bihar formed the new state
• First Chief Minister — Babulal Marandi; first Governor — Prabhat Kumar
• Capital — Ranchi; sub-capital — Dumka
• Jharkhand was the last of the three states created in 2000

The three states of 2000

What statehood changed

• The region got its own assembly, budget and administration for the first time
• Mineral revenue and royalty decisions moved to a state government based in the region
• Tenancy laws, the Fifth Schedule and PESA became state-level political questions
• New institutions followed — a High Court, a public service commission and state universities
• Old problems continued — displacement, migration and uneven development

The whole movement in one line each

• 1915 Chhotanagpur Unnati Samaj — organisation begins
• 1938 Adivasi Mahasabha — the province demand appears
• 1949-50 Jharkhand Party — the demand enters electoral politics
• 1963 merger with the Congress — the movement loses its vehicle
• 1972 JMM — the movement is rebuilt on a wider base
• 1995 JAAC — a partial concession
• 2000 statehood — the demand is met

Facts about the new state's first years

• The Jharkhand High Court at Ranchi was established with the state in 2000
• The Jharkhand Public Service Commission was set up to run state recruitment
• The assembly began with 81 seats and no legislative council
• The state inherited India's richest mineral belt and some of its weakest social indicators
• Early years saw frequent changes of government and short-lived coalitions
• President's rule was imposed in the state more than once in its first two decades