Mizoram marks transformative 2025 with rail link, full literacy tag

Aizawl, Dec 30 (PTI) From being declared India's first fully literate state to getting rail connectivity, Mizoram witnessed transformative infrastructure gains and achieved key social milestones in 2025.

Mizoram was declared the country's first fully literate state on May 20, with a literacy rate of 98.2 per cent. The achievement reflected decades of community-driven efforts in education, building on a legacy that began with the establishment of the first school in 1894 by Christian missionaries.

The state had recorded a literacy rate of 91.33 per cent in the 2011 Census.

With the inauguration of the Bairabi-Sairang railway line, Mizoram found a place on the national railway map.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the over Rs 8,000-crore project on September 13, describing it as one of the most challenging railway works undertaken in the country.

The line connected Aizawl with the national rail network for the first time, 38 years after Mizoram attained statehood and 78 years after Independence, making it the fourth northeastern state capital to be rail-linked.

In March, the long-pending demand for relocating the Assam Rifles unit from the congested heart of Aizawl was fulfilled, with bases shifted to Zokhawsang, about 15 km east of the capital.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the move a milestone for Mizoram's development and a gesture of the Centre's responsibility towards the Mizo people.

On the economic front, Mizoram earned national recognition in November when NITI Aayog declared it the "Ginger Capital of India".

Ginger remains the state's flagship crop, supported by the ZPM government’s ‘Bana Kaih’ handholding scheme, which provides minimum support prices for select agricultural produce.

The Lalduhoma government, which completed two years in office, also rolled out the Mizoram Universal Health Care Scheme (MUHCS) in March, offering cashless treatment with coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family annually.

Officials said nearly 60,000 beneficiaries have availed treatment under the scheme, with healthcare expenditure crossing Rs 100 crore.

However, the year was not without challenges.

Mizoram began 2025 amid strong opposition to the Centre's decision to regulate movement along the 510-km Indo-Myanmar border, replacing the Free Movement Regime with a border pass system. Civil society organisations staged repeated protests against the new protocol and the proposed fencing of the border.

The state continued to shoulder a heavy humanitarian burden, hosting around 31,000 refugees from Myanmar who fled after the 2021 military coup. Fresh violence in July led to the arrival of over 3,000 more people.

Mizoram also sheltered more than 2,000 refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts and nearly 7,000 people displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur.

Political tensions flared over the adoption of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act by the state assembly in August, triggering widespread protests and a statewide shutdown called by the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) in October.

The dilapidated condition of NH-6/306, Mizoram's main lifeline, led to repeated strikes by transporters, disrupting supplies during the monsoon months.

Natural and animal health crises also hit the state. A rodent outbreak linked to bamboo flowering damaged crops across all 11 districts, while African swine fever continued to devastate the piggery sector, affecting thousands of families.

Drug trafficking and substance abuse remained a serious concern, despite intensified enforcement and the launch of 'Operation Jericho', an anti-drug exercise involving police, excise authorities and civil society groups.

In electoral politics, the ruling ZPM saw mixed fortunes. While it performed well in local body polls early in the year, it suffered setbacks later, losing the Dampa assembly by-election to the MNF and failing to secure a majority in the Lai Autonomous District Council. PTI CORR SOM