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 social protection, rural connectivity, women’s collectives, forest-based livelihoods, education and health services.
We have strengthened community institutions and improved access to welfare. The Jharkhand@25 campaign has allowed us to reaffirm our identity, celebrate the people who kept the idea of Jharkhand alive long before it became a state, and listen to citizens — especially youth and women.
A recurring message from these dialogues is clear: Jharkhand’s future cannot rest on extraction alone. It must rest on empowerment. Minerals may have shaped our past, but human capability will shape our future.
Education and skills have become the centre of our development effort. Schools, ITIs, polytechnics and universities are being strengthened so that our young people are equipped for a modern, competitive, technology-driven world. The emphasis is no longer on sending labour out of the state but on building lasting capability within the state.
Women remain the backbone of rural economic transformation. Through Palash and Self-Help Group federations, women have expanded their presence in food processing, NTFP-based value chains, superfood production and agro-allied businesses. Their entrepreneurship has strengthened household incomes, enhanced climate resilience, and reshaped the social and economic fabric of our villages.
Recognising women not just as beneficiaries but as producers, innovators and leaders is one of Jharkhand’s most important developmental shifts.
Our vision is to advance a development model where ecology is valued as an economic asset and where prosperity does not come at the cost of people or nature. In this journey, we seek investments that uplift communities, create dignified and skilled employment, conserve biodiversity, and honour land and livelihood rights.
Sports, arts and tourism are strengthening our cultural confidence. Our athletes and sportspersons are bringing national and international recognition; our artists and artisans keep our valued heritage and art forms alive; and our landscapes — from the hills of Netarhat to the waterfalls of Ranchi — are emerging as hubs for responsible and sustainable tourism.
Manufacturing, too, is being reimagined. The aim is to transform industrial pathways — cleaner factories, more value-added production, stronger safeguards, and greater community participation.
Competitiveness is being strengthened through better infrastructure, improved governance and enhanced human capability, not through compromise on environmental or social standards.
Throughout this period, the pursuit of social inclusion has remained constant. Development is meaningful only when it expands dignity and opportunity for those historically marginalised.
Land rights, social protection, quality public services and community participation remain central pillars of our governance approach.As we step into the next quarter century, our aspiration is simple: To build a Jharkhand that is educated, equitable and environmentally secure.
A Jharkhand where growth is shared, where nature is respected, and where every citizen — whether a farmer, artisan, miner, student or entrepreneur — participates in and benefits from progress. Jharkhand can offer India and the world a new development model — one rooted in identity, guided by inclusion and committed to ecological balance.
The writer is Chief Minister, Jharkhand
