Profile of the District

Lawngtlai District is one of the eight administrative Districts in Mizoram. The District was created on 11 ^th November 1998. Prior to 1998, Lawngtlai District was a part of undivided Chhimtuipui District comprising of Saiha and Lawngtlai. The History of Lawngtlai District as a part of Mizoram dated back to the days of Chieftainship (Lal). Since time immemorial, before the British entered, their own chiefs from generation to another without any disturbance from any quarter ruled this virgin land. This state of affairs kept on continuing till the British appeared on the scene in the late 18 ^th century. On 21^st February, 1888, Lai Chief Dokulha Chinzah, Chief of the then Fungkah Village raided the survey team and killed Lt. Steward, two other Englishmen and one army personnel. Punitive action was taken by the British and in the process, Lawngtlai District came under the direct control of the British after the expedition of 1889 by the British. After India attained independence in 1947, the Lushai Hills Autonomous District Council was created under the provision if the Sixth Schedule in 1952 for the purpose to preserve and protect the identities of the Lushais. The District continued to remain as one of the districts of Assam, which later was changed in Mizo District in 1954. Along with the creation of Lushai Hills autonomous district Council in 1952, leaders of the Lai (it was then called Pawi), Mara (it was then called Lakher) and Chakma demanded a separate Autonomous District Councils as they felt they were distinct stock of tribes. Accordingly, both the Governments of India and Assam having taken all aspects of the political, social and economic lives of the Lai, Mara and Chakma into consideration ultimately created in April 1953, a separate Autonomous Regional Councils under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. The two Councils continued their existence side by side till the creation of the Union Territory of Mizoram in 1972, under the North Eastern Areas reorganization Act of 1971. Eventually the Mizo Autonomous District Council was abolished and the erstwhile Pawi-Lakher Regional Council was trifurcated into three Autonomous District Councils viz. Pawi, Lakher and Chakma Autonomous District Councils under the same Act.