Manipur Meghalaya and Tripura Statehood Day

PWOnlyIAS January 20, 2024 06:43 1267 0

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Every year, January 21, is celebrated as the foundation day or statehood day of Manipur Meghalaya and Tripura.

Manipur Meghalaya and Tripura Statehood Day

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Every year, January 21, is celebrated as the foundation day or statehood day of Manipur Meghalaya and Tripura.

About Statehood Day of Manipur Meghalaya and Tripura

2024 marks the 52nd anniversary of statehood of Meghalaya Manipur and Tripura.
On 21 January 1972, the current three states – Tripura, Meghalaya, and Manipur received the title of full-fledged States under the North Eastern Region Re-Organisation Act, 1971.
- During the time of independence, the regional composition of the North East consisted of the Assam plains of the old Assam Province, the hill districts, and the North Easter Frontier Tracts (NEFT) of the North-Eastern borderland.
- In 1949, Manipur and Tripura states were granted the status of Union Territories.
- Nagaland granted statehood on December 1, 1963.
- According to the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution, within Assam, Meghalaya was made an autonomous state through the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act 1969.
- Meghalaya was a part of Assam, and Tripura and Manipur were princely states.
Northeast part of India includes eight states: Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Mizoram.
- Earlier, North East India used to have seven states and known as ‘Seven Sisters’ including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura.
- Sikkim was integrated as the eighth North Eastern Council state in 2002.

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About Meghalaya

Microcosm: Meghalaya, with its rich diversity, can be aptly described as a microcosm.

Meghalaya is a state in North Eastern India. Shillong is the capital of the state.

Dimension	Description
Geography	State is bounded on the North by Goalpara, Kamrup and Nowgong districts of Assam, on the East by Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills Districts of Assam, and on the South and West by Bangladesh. The total area covered by the state is 22,429 Sq. Km and the total forest area is 8510 sq. km. The highest point is the Shillong peak which is at a height of 1965 m above seas level. Meghalaya is covered mostly in forested terrain with one third of the state covered with forests. The state has an eco-region and sub tropical forests with mountainous forests and lowland tropical forests. Meghalaya state is also known as Meghalaya plateau. The central part of the plateau has the Khasi hills and the eastern section is bounded by Jaintia hills. The Garo Hills bound the western section of the plateau.
Society and Culture	Meghalaya society is the only matrilineal society in northeast India i.e women lead the society and has more status than men in the society. The society within Meghalaya does not allow dowry for marriage. Tribes in Meghalaya: The state is inhabited primarily by three main communities: the Khasis, Garos, and Jaintias. Garos share close ties with the Bodos of Assam, while the Khasis and Jaintias trace their origins to the Mon-Khmer family.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR):	The population of Meghalaya has been steadily increasing, albeit at a slower rate in recent decades. The state, however, lags behind the national average in stabilizing population growth. High TFR poses a challenge to realizing the demographic dividend, making the reduction of TFR a priority.
Migration:	Significant inter-district migration has occurred, resulting in a 50% rise or fall in population density in different districts. Migration data do not fully account for illegal migrants, highlighting the need to strengthen migration databases.
Hamlets:	The existence of scattered hamlets in some districts makes it economically unviable to initiate non-farm activities or provide basic services such as electricity, safe water, cooking gas, or roads. Consideration should be given to examining the feasibility of consolidating hamlets.
Sex Ratio:	Despite the state’s adherence to a matrilineal family pattern, the sex ratio is not overtly favorable to women. Policies like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ need reinforcement, and the traditional ‘daughter preference’ requires revitalization.
Inter-District Variation:	There are significant inter-district variations in the adoption of family planning methods. Garo Hills districts show greater adoption of modern approaches, such as improved schooling for girls, delayed marriages, and increased contraceptive use.

About Tripura

About: Tripura is one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ states of Northeast India. It is bordered by the country of Bangladesh on its north, west, south, and south eastern side whereas the states of Assam and Mizoram are located in the east and shares a common boundary with Tripura.

It is a landlocked hilly state and shares an international border of 856 kms with Bangladesh.
The capital of the state is Agartala.
Tripura was given the status of a separate state of the Indian Union on 21st, January 1972.

Dimension	Description
Geography	It is the third smallest state of India on basis of its total area. It is accessible to the rest of India through the Cachar district of Assam and Aizawl district of Mizoram in the east. Tripura has a humid sub-tropical type of climate. The longest season of Tripura is the monsoon which stretches from the month of May to September, receiving the maximum rainfall in the month of June.
History of Tripura:	Tripura was earlier known as Kirat Desh. The Indian epic Mahabharata mentions Tripura as the three cities constructed by Asura artificer Maya. The Puranas and the pillar inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka also mention about the state of Tripura. According to ‘Rajmala’ Tripura’s court chronicle, there were altogether 184 or 179 kings of Manikya dynasty who ruled the state. These Tripuri kings who held the Manikya title ruled Tripura for about 3000 years until its merge with India. Udaipur located in South Tripura was the capital of the kingdom. The capital was then shifted to Old Agartala by King Krishna Manikya in the 18th century and then to the present Agartala in the 19th century.
Economy	The economy of the state is dependent on agriculture and allied activities which employ about 64% of the population. Rice is the principal crop grown followed by oilseed, pulses, potato and sugarcane.
Culture of Tripura	Tripura has 19 different tribal communities residing here. Tripuri is the oldest tribe living in Tripura. They constitute 50 % of the total population of Tripura. Other tribes in Tripura include the Chakma tribe also known as Changma, Riang or Reang, Jamatia, Murasingh tribe, Mog tribe, Halam and Darlong among others. Bengali and Manipuri communities also are the major dwellers of Tripura.

About Manipur

About: Manipur in northeast India is a small beautiful state with Imphal as its capital. The word Manipur literally means “a jeweled land” and the state was described as the “Jewel of India” by the late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The state attained full state hood on 21 January 1972 with a Legislative assembly of 60 seats.

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The state of Manipur is known as the ‘Switzerland of the East’.

Dimension	Description
Geography	Manipur has a geographical area of 22,327 sq km and is situated at an altitude of 790 meter. Neighbours: To the north of Manipur lies Nagaland, to the south lies Mizoram, to the west is Assam and to the east it is bordered by the international boundary of Burma. River: The Barak river, the largest river of Manipur, originates in the Manipur hills. Blue Hills: The state is is surrounded by blue hills with an oval shaped valley. Manipur is characterized into two distinct physical regions-an outlaying area of rugged hills and narrow valleys and the inner area of flat plains with all associated land forms. 67 % of the geographical area of the state is hill tract covers with forests. The climate of Manipur varies from tropical to sub alpine.
History	As per the royal chronicle or Cheitharol Kumbaba, State of Manipur, was established in the 1st century AD. Manipur Kingdom was formed by the unification of ten clans under the Ningthouja clan. Historical significance: Manipur was the place of trade routes between India and Myanmar and also during World War II which served as the arena for battle between the Japanese and the allied forces.
Forests in Manipur	In Manipur around 67% of the land area is under forest. Wet forests and pine forests are found in the state. Only a single terrestrial lily is grown in the forest hilly region i.e. ‘Siroi Lily’ Manipur is famous for the Dancing Deer Sangai which is unique in all the mammals. Loktak Lake: It is the largest fresh water lake of northeast India is located in Manipur. It is called the Loktak Lake and Sendra Island. On the western fringe of the loktak, lake is Phubala. The only floating National park in the world is the Keibul Lamjao National park on the Loktak Lake. This is the last natural habitat of Sangai the dancing deer of Manipur.
Culture of Manipur	Manipuri society is an amalgamation of culture of different tribes and communities. Shree Govindjee temple is the most important part of the religious aspect of the Manipuri society. Ras Lila: It is the highest expression of artistic genius, devotion and excellence. Manipuri dance: It is one of the classical dance forms of India. Lai Haraoba Festival: It is very interesting dance drama led by priests (Maibas) and priestesses (Maibis), depicting the creation of life. It is celebrated during March-April for about 10-15 days before the village temples of gods and goddesses and the entire village participates in it. This festival of merry making of gods and goddesses is an example of the pre-vaishnavite culture among them. The tandava and Lasya aspect of the dance in the Lai Haraoba festival is presented in the Khamba (incarnation of Lord Shiva), Thoibi (incarnation of Parvati) dance with picturesque dresses having restrained and delicate movements.
Tribes in Manipur	The main tribes living here include among others Aimol Tribe, Anal Tribe, Chiru Tribe, Gangte Tribe, Maram tribe and Hmar tribe.