A strong argument for a Mithila state can be made based on all four criteria; economic backwardness apart from distinct language and culture and as well as for better governance which has not been possible in a state of present Bihar having 100 million+ population (with 40 MPs regional shatraps claiming as villains on national horizon). In the intervening period since 1956 not only our language Maithili was recognised as a separate entity in the Sahitya Akademy in 1965 and in the VIII Schedule in 1993 Mithila region of Bihar was devastated by perennial Koshi floods which Govt of Bihar had not been able to manage even the rehabilitation and migration of Mithila people has been more than any other area of India after Independence. . Historical perspectives- Mithila, a distinguished cultural region in India since the Vedic period, is known for its fertile land and rich heritage of philosophers and creative genius however ithasbeen systematically looted by Magadhi leaders of Patna. Mithila was an independent entity till conquered by foreign lootera Giya suddin Tugalque in 1326 and British merged our SARKAR TIRHUT finally under Patna Revenue Council in 1774 merged it in Bihar( which was area south of Ganga). Despite lundering of our thousands of temples by foreign hordes Mithila remained light post for all Hindus of the world was the main cause of resurrection of Sanatan Dharma by Mandan and Udayan and remained seat of Vedic learnings. In Modern period, identity of the Mithila region was established by Sir George Grierson, a great linguist and a dedicated researcher in 1902 as a result of his linguistic survey of India. (see attachment 1 reproduction of part map of area of our country in the present states of Bihar and Jharkhand). Population and Area The population of the identified Mithila region according to the 2011 Indian Census is 7,23,56,907 of which 6,53,93,105 Maithils live in Bihar and 69,63,802 Maithils currently live in Jharkhand. (see attachment 2 Population and area of the proposed state of Mithila. The total area of the proposed Mithila region is 67851 sq.km, of which 54232 sq. km are located in Bihar and 13619s q.km in Jharkhand. It has 28 Loksabha seats (25 in Bihar+3 in Jharkhand) and 167 Vidhan sabha seats (149 in Bihar+ 18 in Jharkhand). Mithila’s northern “open” boarder touches Nepal and its eastern border is only a few kilometers away from Bangladesh. The borders of the proposed Mithila state are important internationally as well as internally to India. Districts of the Proposed State of Mithila There are twenty-four Maithili speaking districts currently in Bihar. They are: Araria, Banka, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Jamui, Kathihar, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Lakhisarai, Madhepura, Madhubani, Monghyr, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Saharasa, Samastipur, Sheikhpura, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Vaishali, West Champaran. There are six Maithili speaking districts of proposed Mithila state currently in Jharkhand. They are: Deoghar, Dumka, godda, Jamtara, Pakaur, and Sahebganj which bear no cultural resemblance to the rest of Jharkhand. . In spite of the fact that only a part of the Mithila population were enumerated in the 2001 Indian Census, 12,179,122 Maithili speaking persons were identified making Maithli the thirteenth most popularly spoken language in India (vide website of the Census of India 2001). . Socioeconomic Status Many of the proposed districts of Mithila are among the poorest in Bihar and Jharkand. For example, the district of Sheohar was identified as the poorest district in Bihar Rs. 3,656 while Mithila’s Sitamarhi had 4,352, Arariya Rs. 4,578 while Patna had 31,441 Rs. As GDP as tabled in the fiscal report by the then Finance Minister of Bihar, Sri Sushil kumar Modi which showed high economic disparity of 1:10 in the different region of Bihar (Economic report of Bihar 2006) and surely after Koshi flood of 2008 the area’s poverty scale has downgraded further to international poverty scale which Govt. of Bihar has not been able to tackle to the satisfaction. Since Bihar is the least developed state in all of India and Jharkahand is the second least developed, this in all probability makes Mithila having biggest number of the poorest districts in India. All six of the Maithili districts in Jharkhand are also among the 50 poorest districts of all 604 districts in India. Per capita Income throughout the region is deplorable. Many residents of the region take employment in distant lands just to earn a livelihood. Those who are out become soft targets of fundamentalists and are exploited in various ways. Poor ratings places consistently Jharkhand in 34th and Bihar in 35th place among states and UTIs. (Deccan Herald, 06-02-07). The development in Bihar has not been in Mithila districts but in and around Patna only. The proposed areas of Mithila state has been historically been a neglected area and has failed to develop its own resources as a result. Regretfully, neither the state governments of Jharkhand and Bihar nor the central Indian government have taken a holistic and integrated approach to development of the area in the major fields of infrastructure, agriculture, education, industry, exploration of petroleum and mines as well as in essential medical facilities in the region. The Infrastructure database of 2005 listed several reasons for the dismal economic statistics of the region. : • A very high percentage of non-workers ( over 66% of the population has little or no income) • Very few households have electricity even for lighting. (35th among the states and UT’s). • Poor availability of telephones (35th rank among states and UTs) • A negligible production of electrical power in the area (only 0.72 MW per lakh of population). This has resulted in a very poor power consumption in the region (compare our 60.70 kwh/ capita vs. the national average of 330.60 kwh.) The potential of the human resource of Mithila has not been tapped through the creation of centres of excellence similar to IIT, IIM or AIIMS for example and all such has been maliciously established in and around Patna. This is despite the intelligence of the Mithila’s people who are about six percent of Indian population. Perennial flooding in the area causes physical carnage, disruption and misery to humans and devastation to the agricultural infrastructure and to crop production. Often these kinds of natural disasters result in huge migration as if an exodus of the population from this region. It is important to provide conditions in the area that foster hope and opportunity and the creation of the new state of Mithila would be a step in the right direction. Economic potential and importance of the Mithila state strategically The Mithila region has vast potential for self- sustainability, if granted control of its own destiny. Some of Mithila’s unexplored and unexploited resources include its large population, natural resources including mining and petroleum, agriculture potential, and forestry. A state government with only Mithila to administer would be more likely to take an integrated approach to development and could focus on implementation of some of the following ideas: 1. Utilize our fertile agricultural land for the production of grains and vegetables in a way that sustains and maintains the land. 2. Develop agro-based industries with local agro-products like makhana and litchi. Utilize the many varieties of mangoes found in the state for canning, shipping, and export. 3. Develop the extensive water resources in North Mithila in partnership with the Central Government, by controlling floods, providing year-round irrigation so three crops can be produced yearly, and encouraging fisheries and water-based crops. 4. Construct hydroelectric generating plants on lower and medium scales. 5. Develop waterways for transportation to and from the Bay of Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and within the vast region. 6. Plant improved varieties of sugarcane for better sugar yields and establish sugar and confectionary mills. 7. Explore the region for petroleum and other minerals in both South and North Mithila and if found develop them. 8. Establish ways to train personnel for human resources management. 9. Develop Mithila state as a think-tank hub for the region keeping in mind its geographic proximity to Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. 10. Encourage and further develop the silk industry in Southern Mithila 11. Inject new energy and innovation in the pre-existing Khadi industry & the world-famous Mithila painting of North Mithila 12. Develop international tourism by MITHILA CUIRCUIT - - Deoghar linking with Sita cuircuit , Vidyapati Cuicuit, Ramayan circuit and Buddhist circuit of Nepal (Jankapurdham and Kathmandu). The region of Mithila we demand as a state of India (spread in 24 districts of Bihar and 6 districts of Jharkhand) is economically, one of the most backward region in the country. It seems that the region is not the part of our own country on any of the criteria of Human Development Index . The callous negligent attitude of the state Governments of successive decades to Mithila area have compelled the habitants of this region to live a frustrated life. On the all above points Mithila’s backward area will develop if given statehood and it will be a viable state which after due development can compete with Haryana and Kerala in many aspects..
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 07:57:01 +0000
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