November 15, 2025, marked 25 years of Jharkhand’s statehood and commemorates the 150th birth anniversary of the legendary tribal icon, Birsa Munda. This quarter century is a ledger of sacrifice and service, and a reminder of why this state was born in the first place.

Jharkhand emerged from a collective assertion that jal, jungle, jameen must belong to the people who have protected them for generations. As we pay tribute to Dharti Aaba (Father of the Earth), we honour not just a political achievement but a civilisational ethos — the resilience of Adivasi communities, the integrity with which they have nurtured nature, and the moral clarity with which they have defended justice.

Our coal, our steel, our minerals and our workers have helped build modern India. This is a legacy we acknowledge with pride. But it is also a legacy that compels introspection — for, too often, the costs of extraction were borne locally while the benefits flowed outward. Those inequities have shaped our politics, our policies, and our collective memory.

Over the past decade, we have attempted to correct that imbalance. Jharkhand has made advances in........

© Indian Express