The Statehood Day of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura is celebrated on January 21. This year marks the 51st foundation year for the 3 states which attained statehood under the North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act of 1971. While Manipur and Tripura had been princely states which were absorbed into India in October 1949, Meghalaya turned into a part of Assam after Independence.
The states came into being in 1972 after the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, of 1971, was enacted. It resulted in a significant change in the boundaries of India’s Northeastern region, dividing it into states and Union Territories (UTs) after 24 years of Independence.
At the time of Independence, the Northeast consisted of the plains of the old Assam province, the mountainous areas and the North East Frontier Tracts (NEFT) of the Northeast Frontier Province. After independence, the princely states of Manipur and Tripura merged with India in 1949. The states had been granted the repute of Union territories.
Under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, Meghalaya was made an independent state in Assam through the Assam (Meghalaya) Reorganization Act, of 1969.Finally, in 1972, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur had been granted complete statehood by the North Eastern Reorganization Act, 1972.
Meghalaya
The first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, developed a policy to keep and guard the culture of the tribal people in Meghalaya.
The region was given unique safety in the Indian Constitution together with different tribal areas, and it had a brilliant deal of autonomy.In 1960, when Assamese became the country’s official language, the agitation for autonomy and self-rule gained momentum. This movement was largely peaceful and constitutional. In 1970, Meghalaya became an independent state within Assam and later it carried out complete statehood on January 21, 1972.
Manipur
The UT of Manipur became the state of Manipur, comprising territories that earlier than that day belonged to the Union Territory of Manipur as per the 1971 Act.
Tripura
Tripura was an independent administrative unit under the maharajas of the Manikya dynasty even at some stage in the British rule in India, as per the website portal of the state.However, this independence was qualified, difficulty to recognition by the British, because the ideally suited power of every successive ruler.With the persistent efforts and war of its people, Tripura received complete statehood on January 21, 1972, under the 1971 Act and its democratic set-up was similarly prolonged to the village level in 1978 with local body elections. This subsequently culminated in the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati raj system.
