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Area : 79,714 sq km
Population : 26,909,428
Capital : Ranchi
Principal Languages : Hindi
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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