Eighteen districts out and a name changed on the way: the Act that split Bihar in two

Background

The Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 is Act No. 30 of 2000, and it reconstituted the existing State of Bihar into two States. Section 3 formed the new State of Jharkhand out of eighteen districts of Bihar: Bokaro, Chatra, Deogarh, Dhanbad and Dumka; Garhwa, Giridih, Godda, Gumla and Hazaribagh; Kodarma, Lohardaga, Pakur and Palamau; and Ranchi, Sahebganj and Singhbhum East and West. Section 4 left Bihar with every territory not named in section 3. The statement of objects records that the President's Address to Parliament had spoken of a new State of Vananchal, but the Bill settled on the name Jharkhand. Section 5 amended the First Schedule to the Constitution, adding Jharkhand as entry 28 under the heading of the States. For the purposes of the Act the population ratio between Bihar and Jharkhand was fixed at 645.30:218.44. A unit was set up in the Planning Commission, under the Deputy Chairman, to deal only with the development of the rest of Bihar.