Lal Thanhawla is the Chief Minister for the state of Mizoram and was elected to power in 2003. He has been a member of the Indian National Congress since 1967, although he was part of the opposition, the Mizoram National Front (MNF) in 1966 before being jailed during the secessionist uprising in the 60s. He has served as Chief Minister of Mizoram five times. Lal Thanhawla is notable for his contributions to the field of sports, journalism and culture of the state of Mizoram. Here are a list of his achievements:
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1. Contributions to Sports
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has been a sportsman since his early days in school, apart from being a sports enthusiast. The CM of the state of Mizoram has founded many sports associations starting with the Mizoram Sports Association, and going on to founding the Mizoram Hockey Association, the Mizoram Football Association and the Mizoram boxing Association. He founded the Mizoram Olympic Association and is serving as its president to this day.
Additionally, he is the chairman of the North East Olympic Association (Under the Indian Olympic Association), He is a member in the executive council of the Indian Olympic Association, and is a founder and secretary of the Aizwal Amateur Athletic Club.
He led the delegation of Indian sports administrators at the ‘International Conference on Sports and Environment‘ held in Kuwait. He even led the Indian Wushu team at the International Wushu Competition in Rome, with the team winning 4 Gold and 5 Silver medals for India.
2. New Land Use Policy
The New Land Use Policy (NLUP) is an initiative by the Congress government in Mizoram, under the leadership of Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. This history of this policy goes back to the practice of ‘Jhum‘ farming or ‘Jhumming‘; a labour-intensive slash and burn system of farming where farmers would cut down patches of forest land, burning whatever was being cut after that was dried up, and using the ashes of burned plants and vegetation as fertilisers. The cleared patch of land would then be used for the cultivation of the main staple rice, along with cultivation of subsidiary crops such as tobacco, cotton, chilli and other vegetables.
The problem with the slash and burn method of farming or ‘jhum’ cultivation is the fact that the land becomes barren and uncultivable for a period of 10 years, post harvest. This type of farming proved to be devastating to the land and ecosystems of Mizoram.
The New Land Use Policy has a history of three decades with the policy being implemented on and off, which was being streamlined on the basis of developments. This was neither attempted by the government of India nor the government of Mizoram, prior to it being proposed. The actual groundwork for implementation was done in 2009 when the government of Mizoram assumed top authority in NLUP called New Land Use Apex Board, chaired by the Chief Minister.
The main aims and objectives of NLUP are; providing sustainable income to the farmers of the state that constitute 3/4th of the total population of Mizoram by leading them away from the destructive practice of shifting cultivation, providing the urban poor with livelihoods by encouragingsmall-scalee industries and petty trades, converging centrally sponsored schemes by the government of India with NLUP for better utilisation of funds and avoidance of duplication of works, introduction of permanent farming systems and land reforms for the purposes of land reclamation and forestation, and the protection and restoration of the natural environment.
3. Green Mizoram
The state of Mizoram is known for its rainforests, and has the highest forest cover of among Indian states, with a 91% of the state being covered in greenery. The number has, however, been steadily declining in the last few years.
Green Mizoram is an initiative that was started by the state government of Mizoram in 1998, with an aim to preserve the flora and fauna of the state, and to preserve the ecological balance in the region.
Green Mizoram Day is observed once every year in the second week of June, where government employees, students and NGO members participate in the planting of a large number of saplings.
4. New Economic Development Policy (NEDP)
The New Economic Development Policy was born out of the state’s flagship programme NLUP, by the Mizoram state government under Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, with the aim of leading Mizoram from being a subsistence based economy to a market-based economy.
The policy would develop a public-private partnership for adding value to various agricultural, horticultural and other produces.
The NEDP also aims at establishing additional classrooms in higher secondary and model schools to meet the growing demand for admission into government run higher secondary schools.
5. Mizoram Institute of Medical Research and Development
Chief Minister Minister Lal Thanhawla stressed on the need to spread health awareness and preventive health measures while bringing up the fact that the state has to spend 1/3rd of Mizoram’s budget on re-imbursements for medical assistance to government employees and their kin. He said that that the state had to dole out 80 to 100 crore rupees every year on these medical re-imbursements.
He mentioned the unhealthy lifestyles and excessive tobacco use of the people of the state, as the reasons for Mizoram being on of the sickest states in the country. This issue was brought up by the Chief Minister while inaugurating the Mercy Hospital (Rural Diagnostics and Research Centre) at New Serchhip in Serchhip District, the constituency where he was elected.
Despite their limitations, they managed to construct a a medical college in Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla stated.
The Mizoram Institute of Medical Research and Development is the first medical college planned and finished in Mizoram. It was a joint initiative under taken by the central government of India and the state government of Mizoram in 2013-14, and was constructed between 2014 and 2015.
The college was finally established in 2018, as it was scheduled to start functioning in 2015 but was halted by the Medical Council of India. As of today, the college offers courses in MBBS and Nursing.