Uttar Pradesh
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Area |
2,40,928 sq km |
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State
Government Portal |
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Population |
166,052,859 |
|
Open Forum Partners
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Capital |
Lucknow |
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Important Contact Numbers |
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Principal
Languages |
Hindi and Urdu |
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Development Initiatives |
History
and Geography
The history of the State of Uttar Pradesh is
very ancient and interesting. It is recognised
in the later Vedic Age as Brahmarshi Desha or
Madhya Desha. Many great sages of the Vedic
times like Bharadwaja, Gautam, Yagyavalkya,
Vasishta, Vishwamitra and Valmiki flourished
in this state. Several sacred books of the Aryans
were also composed here. Two great epics of
India, Ramayana and Mahabharata, appear to have
been inspired by Uttar Pradesh.
In the sixth century BC, Uttar Pradesh was
associated with two new religions - Jainism
and Buddhism. It was at Sarnath that Buddha
preached his first sermon and laid the foundations
of his order, and it was in Kushinagar in Uttar
Pradesh, where Buddha breathed his last. Several
centres in Uttar Pradesh like Ayodhya, Prayag,
Varanasi and Mathura became reputed centres
of learning. In the medieval period, Uttar Pradesh
passed under Muslim rule and led the way to
new synthesis of Hindu and Islamic cultures.
Ramananda and his Muslim disciple Kabir, Tulsidas,
Surdas and many other intellectuals contributed
to the growth of Hindi and other languages.
Uttar Pradesh preserved its intellectual excellency
even under the British administration. The British
combined Agra and Oudh into one province, and
called it United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
The name was shortened to the United Provinces
in 1935. In January 1950, the United Provinces
was renamed as Uttar Pradesh.
The State is bounded by Uttarakhand and Himachal
Pradesh in the north, Haryana in the west, Madhya
Pradesh in the south, and Bihar in the east.
Uttar Pradesh can be divided into two distinct
regions, (i) Southern hills and (ii) Gangetic
plain.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the main occupation of 66 per
cent of the population of the state. The net
cultivated area in the state is 167.50 lakh
hectares. In the year 2003-04 the state produced
255.67 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, 130.22 lakh
metric tonnes of rice, 23.80 lakh metric tonnes
of pulses and 6.44 lakh metric tonnes of oilseeds
and 1127.54 lakh tonnes sugar cane. Total foodgrains
production during 2003-2004 was 442.58 lakh
metric tonnes.
Industry and Minerals
During the year 2004-2005 there were 521835
small-scale industrial units involving a total
investment of Rs. 5131 crore and employment
opportunities for 2001000 persons. About 45.51
lakh tonnes of sugar was produced in the state
during the year 2003-2004. There were 68 textile
units. Thirty-two automobile units with an investment
of Rs. 5,740 crore provided jobs to 20280 persons.
It is planned to develop 102 sectors of New
Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA)
by th year 2011. The Authority includes industrial
sectors,housing sectors,group housing sectors,
residential buildings, commercial assets and
institutional sectors. Steps have been taken
to develop other industrial areas in the state
on the pattern of Noida and Greater Noida. A
Software Technology Park has been set up in
Kanpur while five more Software Parks are proposed
to be set up.
Under the public sector, mining of limestone,
magnesite, phosphate, dolomite and silicon-sand
is carried out. The bulk minor and some of the
major minerals like limestone, silica-sand,
pyrophyllite and diaspore is mostly with the
private sector. Important based industries include
large cement plants in Sonebhadra.
Irrigation and Power
UP Power Corporation, UP State Power Generation
and UP Hydel Power Corporation had been formed
by reorganising UP State Electricity Board on
14 January 2000.
During 2004-05 an expenditure of Rs 98715 crore
was made to raise the irrigation potential to
a level of 319.17 lakh hectares. At the time
of inception the total installed capacity of
UPSEB, including thermal and hydro, was 2,635
MW which has now been raised to 4621 MW.
Transport
Roads : The total road length in the State is
1,04,137 km. This includes 3,912 km of national
highways, 9,098 km of state highways, 87,248
km of important district roads, 91,127 km of
other district roads, and 72,931 km of rural
roads.
Railways: Lucknow is the main junction of the
northern network. Other important railway junctions
are Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mughalsarai, Jhansi,
Moradabad, Varanasi, Tundla, Gorakhpur, Gonda,
Faizabad, Bareilly and Sitapur.
Aviation: There are airports at Lucknow, Kanpur,
Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Jhansi, Bareilly,
Hindon (Ghaziabad), Gorakhpur, Sarsawa (Saharanpur),
and Fursatganj (Rae-Bareli).
Festivals
The biggest congregation, perhaps of the world,
Kumbha Mela is held at Allahabad every twelfth
year and Ardh kumbh Mela every sixth year. Magh
Mela is also held at Allahabad in January when
the people come in large number to have a dip
in the holy Sangam. Among other fairs is the
fortnight long Jhoola fair of Mathura, Vrindavan
and Ayodhya, when dols are placed in gold and
silver jhoolas or cradles. A dip in the Ganga
on Kartik Poornamasi is supposed to be the holiest
and there are big congregations at arhmukteshwar,
Soran, Rajghat, kakora, Bithur, Kanpur, Allahabad,
Varanasi and Ayodhya. A famous cattle fair is
held at Bateswar in Agra district. Dewa in Barabanki
district has became famous because of the Muslim
saint Waris Ali Shah. Besides, important festivals
of the Hindus, Muslims, etc., are widely celebrated
in the state.
Tourist Centres
Uttar Pradesh has varied attractions for all
kinds of tourists. Besides ancient places of
pilgrimage like Varanasi, Vindhyachal, Ayodhya,
Chitrakoot, Prayag, Naimisharanya, Mathura,
Vrindavan, Dewa Sharief, Dargah of Sheikh Saleem
Chishti in Fatehpur Sikri, Sarnath, Shravasti,
Kushinagar, Sankisa, Kampil, Piprahwa and Kaushambi,
places like Agra, Ayodhya, Sarnath, Varanasi,
Lucknow, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kannauj,
Mahoba, Devgarh, Bithur, and Vindhyachal have
rich treasures of Hindu and Islamic architecture
and culture.
