Jharkhand
 |
Area |
79,714 sq km |
 |
State
Government Portal |
 |
Population |
26,909,428 |
|
Open Forum Partners
|
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Capital |
Ranchi |
|
Important Contact Numbers |
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Principal
Languages |
Hindi |
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Development Initiatives |
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.
