• 15 Nov 2025

Jharkhand Celebrates 25 Years of Statehood

Why in News? 

Jharkhand is celebrating its silver jubilee (25 years) of statehood on 15 November 2025. The state is known as the “Land of Forests”, rich in minerals, tribal heritage, and biodiversity. 

Key Points 

• About: 
  • The day coincides with the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, observed nationally as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. 
  • Jharkhand @ 25 is the official theme for the 2025 Silver Jubilee celebrations. 
• Historical Background: 
  • The demand for a separate Jharkhand began in the early 1900s, rooted in efforts to protect the land, culture, and autonomy of tribal communities in the Chotanagpur Plateau and Santhal Pargana. 
  • Tribal leaders and reformers highlighted issues of land alienation, administrative neglect, and the need for self-governance to preserve their distinct identity. 
  • The aspiration finally materialised with the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000, and Jharkhand officially became India’s 28th State on 15 November 2000.

Birsa Munda

• Birsa Munda, born on 15th November 1875, was a member of the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau. 
• He was an Indian freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero. 
• He spearheaded an Indian tribal religious Millenarian movement during British rule in the late 19th century across the tribal belt of modern-day Jharkhand and Bihar. He was a close observer of the Sardari Larai movement in the region in the 1880s, which sought to restore tribal rights through nonviolent means such as petitioning the British government. These demands, however, were ignored by the harsh colonial authority. 
• Birsa Munda led the rebellion that came to be known as Ulgulan (revolt) or the Munda rebellion against the British government-imposed feudal state system. 
• His struggle against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to the passing of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908, which restricted the passing of land from the tribal people to non-tribals. 

Kafni Glacier

The once-popular trekking route to Kafni Glacier in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand remains abandoned and unsafe since the devastating 2013 flash-floods. 

Key Points 

• Kafni Glacier is located in the Kumaon Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and is a tributary source for the Kafni River, which joins the Pindar River. 
• It is often described as a “hidden gem” of the Himalayas, lesser-crowded compared to Pindari Glacier, offering solitude, alpine meadows, and high-altitude views. 
• The trekking route to Kafni starts from the village of Khati (the last inhabited village) via Dwali, and historically extended to the glacier’s Zero-Point.  
• The trail was heavily damaged by the 2013 floods, and key infrastructure (bridges, trails) remain broken, making access nearly impossible for more than a decade.