Mizoram Foundation Day: All you need to know about how the state came into existence

Mizoram celebrates its foundation day on 20 February. The north-eastern state came into existence on this date in 1987. The name of the state comes from the words Mi (meaning people), Zo (which signifies a lofty place, such as a hill) and Ram (land). So, Mizoram basically means “Land of the hill people”, according to the official website of the state. A brief history of Mizoram The region was first part of Assam after India gained independence in 1947. The Mizo National Front (MNF), a political organisation established in 1961, stated that the independence of Greater Mizoram was its primary goal. The MNF launched Operation Jericho on 28 February, 1966, to throw out the Indian troops stationed in the region. Government installations and offices in Aizawl, Lunglei and other places were attacked by the MNF. The Union government sent fighter jets to bomb the city of Aizawl on 5 and 6 March the same year. It marked the only time in Indian history that the country used its air force to quell an insurrection among its own citizens. The MNF was outlawed the next year, as per reports, just as the clamour for statehood grew. After the Mizo District Council delegation met then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1971, it was decided Mizoram would be a Union Territory (UT). Mizoram was declared as a separate UT in 1972 under the Northeast Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. It became the 23rd state of India after the 53rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution, 1986. Mizoram, as well as the state of Arunachal Pradesh, came into existence on 20 February, 1987. Some facts about Mizoram:

• Mizoram is the second least populous state in the country, according to the 2011 Census.
• Over 84 per cent of the area is the state is forested, according to the India State of Forest Report 2021.
• A total of 21 hill ranges are present in the state, ranging from 1,000 metres to over 2,000 metres in height.
• Mizoram has a literacy rate of 91.3 per cent, as per the 2011 Census, making it the third most literate state in India.
• The state bird of Mizoram is the vavu or Hume’s bar-tailed pheasant. The state animal is the serow, while the state flower is the red vanda.
• The Tropic of Cancer runs through Mizoram at the Maubuang Lungsai hamlet in Aizawl district. A stone was erected by the state government in 2016 to mark the spot.

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