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Jharkhand
Area : 79,714 sq km
Population : 26,909,428
Capital : Ranchi
Principal Languages : Hindi
History and Geography
Jharkhand, which came into being on 15 November, 2000,
as the 28th State of the Union, is the homeland of the
tribals for which they had been dreaming for centuries.
According to a legend, Raja Jai Singh Deo of Orissa had
declared himself the ruler of Jharkhand in the 13th
century. It largely comprises forest tracks of
Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal Pargana and has
distinct cultural traditions. In post-Independence era,
the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha started a regular agitation,
which impelled the government to establish the Jharkhand
Area Autonomous Council in 1995, and finally attained
the status of a full-fledged State.
Jharkhand is bounded by West Bengal in the east, Uttar
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Bihar in the north
and Orissa in the south.
Agriculture
The State has an area of 79,714 sq km of which 18,423 sq
km is forestland. Agriculture and allied activities are
the major source of Jharkhand's economy. The total
cultivable land is only 38 lakh hectares.
Irrigation and Power
Damodar, Maurakshi, Barakar, North Koyel, South Koyel,
Sankh, Subarnarekha, Kharkai, and Ajay are major water
resources in the State. The net irrigated area is 1.57
lakh hectares, which is 8 per cent of the net sown area.
The installed capacity of power in Jharkhand is 2,590
MW. This includes 420 MW (Tenughat Thermal Power
Station), 840 MW (Patratu Thermal Power Station), 130 MW
(Sikkidiri Hydel Project) and 1,200 MW (Damodar Valley
Corporation Thermal/Hydel Project). The prospects of
capacity addition in both the thermal and hydel sectors
of various power stations is 4,736 MW. This includes 686
Mw hydel generation.
Industry and Minerals
Some of Jharkhand's major industries are: Bokaro Steel
Plant in the public sector, and Tata Iron and Steel
Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur in the private sector.
Other important industries are Tata Engineering and
Locomotive Company (TELCO), Timken India Limited (Jamshedpur),
Bharat Cooking Limited (Dhanbad), Khilari Cement Factory
(Palamu), Indian Aluminum (Muri), ACC cement (Chaibsa),
Central Coalfields Limited (Ranchi), Usha Martin, Usha
Beltron, Uranium Corporation (I) Limited (Jadugora),
Hindustan Copper Limited (Mussabani), Tin Plate Company
of India Limited (Jamshedpur), Indian Explosive Limited
(Gomia), and Hindalco Bauxite (Lohardaga), etc.
The State is richest in the country in terms of its
mineral resources. The important available minerals are
coal, iron ore, limestone, copper ore, bauxite, pyrite,
china clay, kyanite, fine clay, dolomite, graphite,
bentonite, soap stone, quartz sand and silica sand. The
nascent state of Jharkhand has the enormous potential
for exploitation of coal, mica and other minerals
particularly in Singhbhum, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Ranchi,
Koderma and Dhanbad.
Transport
Roads: The total length of roads in the State is
4,311 km. This includes 1,500 km national highways and
2,711 km state highways.
Railways: The state has a well-developed railway
system. Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur are some of
the major railway stations.
Aviation: Ranchi is connected with Delhi, Patna
and Mumbai. Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Giridih, Deoghar,
Hazaribagh, Daltonganj and Noamundi have their own
airstrips.
Tourist Centres
There are many scenic attractions in the state, namely,
Ichagarh Bird Sanctuary, Udhava Bird Sanctuary-Sahibganj
(Pathara Lake), Chachro Crocodile Breeding Centre–Koderma
(Tilaya Dam), Chandrapura Bird Sanctuary, Jawaharlal
Nehru Zoological Garden (Bokaro), Tenughat Bird
Sanctuary, Dalma Wild Life Sanctuary (Jamshedpur), Tata
Steel Zoological Park (Jamshedpur), Palkote Wild Life
Sanctuary (Gumla), Bhagwan Birsa Zoological Gardens (Ranchi),
Birsa Deer Sanctuary (Kalmati Ranchi), Betla National
Park (Palamau), Ranchi Aquarium (Ranchi) and Hazaribagh
National Park, Tatoloi hot water stream (Dumka) and
Saranda Forest.
Apart from the above, Jharkhand has some famous temples
like, Jharkhand Dham, Langta Baba Temple/Majar,
Bindhvashini Temple, Masanjore Dam, etc. |
