STATE - CHHATTISGARH
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Particulars
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Description
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Area
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1,36,034
sq. km
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Population
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2,55,40,196 *
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Capital
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Raipur
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Principal
Languages
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Hindi
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* As per 2011 Census (Provisional
Data)
History and Geography
Chhattisgarh,
carved out of Madhya Pradesh came into being on 1 November 2000 as the
26th State of the Union. It fulfills the long-cherished demand of the
people. In ancient times the region was known as Dakshin-Kausal. This finds
mention in Ramayana and Mahabharata also. Between the sixth and twelfth
centuries Sarabhpurias, Panduavanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri and Nagvanshi rulers
dominated this region. Kalchuris ruled in Chhattisgarh from 980 to 1791 AD.
With the advent of the British in 1845, Raipur gained prominence instead of
capital Ratanpur. In 1904 Sambalpur was transferred to Odisha and estates of
Sarguja were transferred from Bengal to Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh
is bounded by southern Jharkhand and Odisha in the east, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra in the west, Uttar Pradesh and western Jharkhand in the north and
Andhra Pradesh in the south. Areawise Chhattisgarh is the ninth largest State
and population-wise it is seventeenth State of the nation.
Agriculture
Agriculture
and allied activities account for nearly 80 per cent of the work force in the
State. Out of the geographical area 13,790 thousand hectares, gross cropped
area is about 35 per cent of the total geographical area. Kharif is the main
cropping season. Rice is the predominant crop of the state. Other important
crops are maize, wheat, niger, groundnut and pulses. The State has one of the
biggest collections of rice germplasm. Horticulture crops are grown in an area
of about 540 thousand hectares.
Chhattisgarh
was recently awarded "Krishi Karman Award" for first position in
Paddy production in India for the year 2010-11. Paddy production increased from
50 lakh MT to 91 lakh MT in 2011.
Irrigation and Power
When
the State came into being, the total irrigation capacity was 13.28 lakh
hectares, which has now increased to 18.09 lakh hectare. Major completed
projects are Mahandai Reservoir project, Hasdeo Bango project, Tandula, Kodar,
Jonk D/S, Kharung, Maniyari Tank and Pairy (Sikasar) project, Jonk project,
Kharang project, Maniyani project.
Installed
capacity of state sector is 1924.70 MW out of which 1786 MW is thermal and
138.7 MW is hydro electric. By December 2012, Power from 500 MW Korba west TPS
and 1000 MW Madwa TPS shall be available.
In
Chhattisgarh 97 per cent of villages and 67.5 per cent of Majra/ Tola (hamlets)
are electrified. Per capita electricity consumption has increased from 317 unit
in 2001 to 1547 units in 2011.
Mineral Resources
Chhattisgarh
has the perfect geological set up to host a number of economically crucial
minerals. Large deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone, bauxite, and dolomite
are found in various parts of the state. Districts of North Chhattisgarh such
as Surguja, Raigarh, Koriya and Bilaspur are known for huge coal deposits. The
state has 46682 million tones reserve in coal. In 2009-10 the state produced
110 million tones of coal. In fact Chhattisgarh ranks first among states in production
of coal. The rich deposits of coal has attracted huge investment in power
sector and in the coming years the state will emerge as major power supplier to
the national grid.
Industry
The
economy of Chhattisgarh is largely natural resource driven and it leverages the
state's rich mineral resources. The key sectors where Chhattisgarh has a
competitive advantage include cement, mining, steel, aluminium and power. One
of the most mineral-rich states in India, Chhattisgarh provides a lucrative
opportunity for cement production at the most competitive prices.
Information Technology
E-Governance
in Chhattisgarh is oriented towards ensuring people access to government. This
makes the government even more responsive and transparent. Chips (Chhattisgarh
Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society) was setup with a high powered governing
council under the Chief Ministers chairpersonship, to act as a prime mover for
IT and Biotechnology in the State. All citizen services of e-governance are
under one umbrella project called CHOICE (Chhattisgarh On-line Information for
Citizens Empowerment). Chhattisgarh got the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) Award 2007 for its Human Development Report, using Information
technology for the betterment of citizens.
Transport
Roads:
The total length of the roads in the State under PWD is 33448.80kms. The length
of National Highways is 2226 kms; State highways 5240 kms; 10,539.80 kms; main
district roads; and 15443 kms other district and rural roads. The length of
roads in Chhattisgarh has increased from 17.75 kms to 21.40 kms per 100 kms. 984
kms of roads have been constructed and the work of 265 km roads is in progress
under Chhattisgarh State Road Development Project..18,906 kms of roads have
been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna. To connect
interior areas of State, not covered under the PMGSY, State Government has
started Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and 4000 kms of roads worth Rs.2000
crores is under construction.
Railways:
Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Raigarh and Korba are important railway
stations.
Forests
Slightly
less than half of the geographical area of Chhattisgarh is covered by forest
cover is an extremely valuable asset of the state Nearly one-third of the
forests comprises Sal forest produce which provide livelihood to large numbers
of our population. Timber wood has an important place among the major forest
produce. It contributes about forty percent of the total forest revenue. Nearly
ten thousand industrial units depend on forests for their raw material base.
These
small-scale industries include saw-mills, furniture units, bidi, silk and
‘kattha’ industries. The State Government of Chhattisgarh has initiated
strong measures for providing fair value for the labour put in by forest produce
collectors. Government believes that transparent market mechanism should be
promoted,and competitive prices offered to the collectors. For the first time
in the country, an institutional arrangement has been created in Chhattisgarh
for fixing minimum support prices for minor forest produce. Some 120 minor
forests produce except tendu leaves would be covered under the arrangement.
Special efforts are being made to involve Gram-Sabhas in the protection of
forests and the collection of minor forest produce. There are three national
parks namely the Sanjay Gandhi Udayn, indrawat Tiger project and Kanger valley
in the State. There are sanctuaries at Badakhol, Barnawapara , Sitanade
Achanakmar, Semarsat, Tamar Pingla, Bhairamagarh, Pamed, Udanti and Gomarda of
the State.
Tourist Centres
Chhattisgarh
situated in the heart of India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and
attractive natural diversity. The State is full of ancient monuments, rare
wildlife species, carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, water-falls, caves,
rock paintings and hill plateaus. Bastar, with its unique cultural and
ecological identity; Chitrakote Falls, a spot where the river Indravati has an
abrupt fall of 96 ft; Tirathgarh Falls, the picturesque waterfall of Kanger
river from a height of 100 ft in the form of steps; Keshkal valley; Kangerghati
National Park; Kailash caves; Sita Bongara and Kutumbsar caves are rich in
natural beauty.
Other
important places of tourist interest are: In Bilaspur, Mahamaya temple at
Ratanpur, Bambleshwari Devi Temple at Dongargarh, Danteshwari Devi Temple at
Dantewada, Sirpur an important centre of Buddhism from 6-10th century,
Champaran the birth place of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharaya, Khutaghat waterfall,
Dindneswari Devi Temple of Malhar and the Achanakmar sanctuary, Udanti sanctuary
near Raipur, Pali and Kendai waterfall of Korba district are important places
of tourist interest. The Sabari temple of Kharod Janjgir-Champa; Nar Narayan
temple of Sheorinarayan; Vishnu Temple of Janjgir are important religious
places. The State has set up a State Tourism Promoting Board as the nodal
agency for the sustained development of interrelated sectors in tourism.
Districts
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