Haryana
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Area |
44,212 sq km |
 |
State
Government Portal |
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Population |
21,144,564 |
|
Open Forum Partners
|
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Capital |
Chandigarh |
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Important Contact Numbers |
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Principal
Languages |
Hindi |
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Development Initiatives |
History
and Geography
Haryana has a proud history going back to the
Vedic Age. The state was the home of the legendary
Bharata dynasty, which has given the name Bharat
to India. Haryana finds mention in the great
epic of Mahabharata. Kurukshetra, the scene
of the epic battle between the Kauravas and
the Pandavas, is situated in Haryana. The state
continued to play a leading part in the history
of India till the advent of the Muslims and
the rise of Delhi as the imperial capital of
India. Thereafter, Haryana functioned as an
adjunct to Delhi and practically remained anonymous
till the First War of India's Independence in
1857. When the rebellion was crushed and the
British administration was re-established, the
Nawabs of Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh, Raja of Ballabgarh
and Rao Tula Ram of Rewari of the Haryana region
were deprived of their territories. Their territories
were either merged with the British territories
or handed over to the rulers of Patiala, Nabha
and Jind. Haryana thus became a part of the
Punjab province. With the reorganisation of
Punjab on 1 November 1966, Haryana was made
into a full-fledged state.
The state is bound by Uttar Pradesh in the
east, Punjab in the west, Himachal Pradesh in
the north and Rajasthan in the south. National
Capital Territory of Delhi juts into Haryana.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the mainstay of more than 75
per cent population in Haryana. Rice, wheat,
jowar, bajra , maize, barley and pulses, sugarcane,
cotton, oilseeds and potato are the major crops
of the state. Under the diversification of crops,
more and more area is being brought under cash
crops like sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds. New
crops like sunflower, soyabean and fruits and
vegetables are also being encouraged. Efforts
are being made to encourage intensive and extensive
farming in the state.
Information Technology
In view of the importance of Information Technology
in the globalisation process throughout the
world, the State Government has formulated an
IT Policy which provides several; incentives
for IT and ITES/BPO Industry. Government has
also recently announced a policy for Technology
Parks, which gives considerable flexibility
for setting up Technology Parks and IT Corridors.
The objective of this policy is also to promote
convergence of Information Technology with frontier
technologies like Nano Technology, Bio Technology,
Mobile Computing and Robotics, etc. Further,
Gurgaon has been developed as a preferred investment
destination for both IT and ITES/BPO companies.
Now, Gurgaon has become the home of the corporate
world in India. The State Government is planning
to set up Hi-Tech Habitat Centre in the Electronic
City, Gurgaon for IT/ITES/BPO companies, which
would provide world-class facilities. Besides
Gurgaon, the state also intends to develop other
areas in NCR region, such as those falling alongside
Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Express Highway and Faridabad,
as satellites of Gurgaon-Manesar Mega IT Hub.
The software exports from Haryana during 2004-05
were Rs. 7,300 crore and during the last year,
it has increased by 34 per cent as compared
to previous year.
The State of Haryana is an aspiring leader
in E-Governance as per the EGovernance readiness
index of the country. Haryana not only aspires
to attain leadership position but also is going
ahead with e-Governance initiatives by establishing
State Wide Area Network (SWAN). The SWAN is
being set up connecting the State Headquarters
and District Headquarters and all Block HQ's
to respective District HQ's. SWAN also envisages
village connectivity through wireless. This
shall enable transparency, efficiency and accountable
governance that shall throw up opportunities
and provide access to the citizens-centric services.
E-Disha, a single point multi-service delivery
system for providing citizen-centric services
has been launched in 5 districts and is being
launched in other districts of the State. The
Local Area Networks (LAN) have been established
at major buildings and a number of departments
at State and District level. The Haryana State
Data Centre has been established with the assistance
of NIC with 1000 GB storage capacity. Under
the Computer Training Programme, more than 15000
government Employees have been trained.
Industry
Haryana has a large industrial base having more
than 1,271 large and medium and 80,000 Small
Scale Units in the State. Haryana is the largest
producer of passenger cars, tractors, motorcycles,
bicycles, refrigerators, scientific instruments,
etc. Haryana is the largest exporter of Basmati
rice to the overseas market. Panipat handlooms
and carpets are known all over the world besides
its famous Pachranga Aachar (pickles).
Since July 1991, 3439 Industrial Entrepreneur
Memorandum (IEMs) were filed and out of these
1916 IEMs were implemented with Capital Investment
of Rs 16,030 crore and generating employment
for 3,21,959 persons. As a result of the new
Industrial Policy, State has received about
30 proposals for setting up of SEZ's in the
State which has envisaged an investment of Rs.
1.5 lakh crore
in the industrial infrastructure. These projects
on implementation would create several thousand
crore investment in the industrial sector besides,
generating huge employment. State is developing
industrial model township at Faridabad, Rohtak
and Jagadhari besides expansion of IMT Manesar
in Gurgaon. Petrochemical Hub is coming up with
investment of Rs. 30,000 crore at Panipat. Kundli-Manesar-Palwal
Expressway is being developed with investment
of Rs. 2000 crore. This will create a large
number of economic hubs all along the expressway
generating new investment opportunities in the
industrial and service sector. The State is
also fully exploring the potential of economic
development by developing new industrial estates
at Bahadurgarh, Rohtak as well as to expand
industrial infrastructure in Sonipat, Kundli,
Rai and Barhi. Many proposals for setting up
new industrial estates at different locations
particularly in Ambala, Saha, Yamuna Nagar,
Barwala, Karnal, Rohtak and Kaithal are under
consideration with the State Government.
There is a great demand from industries for
allotment of industrial land in the industrial
estates developed by the HSIDC and HUDA. During
this period of the present Government, 25 new
industrial units in the large and medium sectors
and 1000 new small-scale industrial units with
investment of Rs. 600 crore have been set up
generating direct employment for more than 11,000
persons. Besides, a large number of industrial
units have undergone expansion and as a result
of it fresh investment of more than Rs. 6000
crore has been created. Recently, Indian Oil
Corporation has set up Paraxylene/PTA project
at Panipat with an investment of about Rs. 4000
crore. Maruti Udyog Hero Honda and many other
automobile ancillaries are undergoing expansion
programme with investment of about Rs. 10,000
crore. At present, investment proposals of about
Rs. 20,000 crore are under implementation in
the Industrial Sector. Similarly, new investment
in IT and Textile sector particularly the readymade
garment is coming up in the State.
Irrigation
Haryana is a beneficiary of the multi purpose
project in Sutlej and Beas, sharing benefits
with Punjab and Rajasthan. Major irrigation
projects are western Yamuna Canal, Bhakra Canal
and Gurgaon Canal System. Haryana has raised
water from lower levels to higher and drier
slopes. It is a new endeavour that gave practical
shape to lift-irrigation for the first time
in India.
The Jui, Siwani, Loharu and Jawahar Lal Nehru
Lift irrigation schemes have helped to carry
irrigation water against gravity flow to arid
areas. Sprinkler and drip irrigation have been
introduced in the highly undulating and sandy
tracks of Haryana.
Construction work of Hathni Kund barrage at
a cost of Rs 220 crore have been completed.
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would get additional
water for irrigation purposes from the barrage
and Delhi would get additional water for drinking.
Power
Haryana became the first State in the country
to achieve 100 per cent rural electrification
in 1970. Starting with 20,000 tubewells in 1966
there were 4.12 lakh tubewells in March 2006.
The average power availability during 2005-06
was 621.79 lakh units a day. The number of consumers
in 2005-06 were 40 lakh. The installed generation
capacity as on 31 March 2006 was 4033 MW.
Transport
Roads: In Haryana, all villages stand
connected with metalled roads. The length of
roads in the State is 31,010 km.
Railways: Ambala, Panipat and Jakhal are important
railway stations. There is a railway workshop
at Jagadhari.
Aviation: There are civil aerodromes at Pinjore,
Karnal, Hisar, Bhiwani and Narnaul.
Tourist Centres
Haryana has a network of 46 Tourist Complexes
in the State. Some of the important tourist
complexes are: Blue Jay (Samalkha), Skylark
(Panipat), Chakravarty Lake and Oasis (Uchana),
Parakeet (Pipli), Kingfisher (Ambala), Magpie
(Faridabad), Dabchick (Hodel), Shama (Gurgaon),
Jungle Babbler (Dharuhere), Gauriyya (Bahadurgarh),
Myna (Rohtak), Blue Bird (Hisar), Red Bishop
(Panchkula) and Pinjore Gardens (Pinjore). Surajkund
and Badkhal Lake near Delhi, Sultanpur bird
sanctuary (Sultanpur, Gurgaon) and Damdama in
Gurgaon and fascinating pocket of pines at Morni
Hills are other attractions of tourist interest.
The Surajkund Crafts Mela of International fame
is held every year in the month of February.
