STATE OVERVIEW State Capital : Hyderabad Governor: ESL Narasimhan (Add.) Chief Minister: Sri. N.

Kiran Kumar Reddy Lok Sabha seats: 42 Legislature : Unicameral Judicature : Hyderabad HC No. of Districts : 23 Languages : Telugu, Urdu Main crops : Rice, tobacco, oilseeds, jute, cotton, sugarcane, turmeric, groundnut, cashewnuts Rivers Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Musi, Vamsadhara, Tungabhadra and Nagavali Minerals : Copper, mica, manganese, gold, asbestos, petroleum, coal, magnesite, iron Industries: Cement, paper, asbestos, units of HMT, BHEL, Hindustan Shipyard, Bharat Dynamics Limited Airports : Hyderabad, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam

PHYSICAL FEATURES Andhra Pradesh has three main physiographic regions: a coastal plain, the Eastern Ghats, and a plateau west of the Eastern Ghats. The coastal plain extends from the Bay of Bengal to the mountain ranges and runs nearly the entire length of Andhra Pradesh. A number of rivers flow across the coastal plain, through the hills into the bay, from west to east. The Krishna and the Godavari Deltas form the central part of the plains. The Eastern Ghats are broken up by the numerous river valleys and do not form a continuous range in Andhra Pradesh. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Andhras is said to be mentioned in Aitereya Brahmana (2000 BC); which indicates that the Andhras, originally an Aryan race living in north India migrated to south of the Vindhyas and later mixed with non-Aryans. Regular history of Andhra Desa, according to historians, begins with 236 BC, the year of Ashokas death. During the following centuries, Satavahanas, Sakas, Ikshvakus, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas ruled the Telugu country. Other dynasties that ruled over the area in succession were the kingdoms of Vijayanagar and Qutub Shahi followed by Mir Qumruddin and his successors, known as the Nizams. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

17th century - British annexed territories of the Nizam, constituted the single province of Madras. Independence - Teluguspeaking areas were separated from the composite Madras Presidency and a new Andhra State came into being on 1 October 1953. States Reorganisation Act, 1956 - merger of Hyderabad State and Andhra State. Andhra Pradesh came into being on 1 November 1956.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH PHYSICAL FEATURES This state is land of lush green forests, deep river valleys, plateaus and mountainous with the Himalayan ranges lying along the northern borders crisscrossed with north-south running ranges. These divide the state into five river valleys: the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Siang, the Lohit and the Tirap. A series of foothills lie in the southernmost part of the state, rising from the Assam plains to touch altitudes of 300 to 1000 metres. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency its terrain consists of submontane and mountainous ranges, sloping down to the plains of Assam, divided into valleys by the rivers Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit and Tirap. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: Prior to 1962 the area was known as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), constitutionally a part of Assam. State was administered by the Ministry of External Affairs until 1965 and subsequently by the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Governor of Assam. 1972 - it was constituted as a Union Territory and renamed Arunachal Pradesh 20 February 1987- became the 24th state of the Indian Union

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Assam
General Knowledge Category: States of India, India: An Overview INFRASTRUCTURE

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Governor : Janki Ballab Chief Minister : Tarun Kumar Gogoi Capital : Dispur Legislature : Unicameral Lok Sabha seats : 14 Judicature : Guwahati High Court No. of districts : 27 Languages : Assamese, Bangla Dances : Bihu, Bamboo dance Main crops: Tea, jute, rice, cotton and silk Minerals : Petroleum River : Brahmaputra, Barak, Sonai Industries: Tea processing, oil refineries, coal, silk and plywood Airports : Guwahati, Tezpur and Jorhat State Overview PHYSICAL FEATURES Assam can be broadly divided into three geographical units: the alluvial Brahmaputra Valley

covering large parts of the state in the north, the Barak Valley in the southern part of the state, and the hilly region that separates the two valleys. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The word Assam is derived from the Sanskrit word Asoma meaning peerless or unparalleled, also widely accepted opinion of the academic circles today is that the term has come from the original name of the Ahoms, who ruled the land for about six hundred years prior to its annexation by the British. The races like Austric, Mongolian, Dravidian and Aryan that came to this land long-long ago have contributed to its composite culture. Thus Assam has a rich legacy of culture and civilization. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS Assam was known as Pragjyotisha or the place of eastern astronomy during the epic period. Named as Kamrupa during the kingdom of Kamrupa as in the Allahabad pillar inscription of king Samudragupta. Hiuen Sang, the Chinese scholar pilgrim who visited Kamrupa in about 743 AD on an invitation of its monarch, Kumar Bhaskar Varman. 1228 AD - advent of the Ahoms across the eastern hills, they ruled Assam nearly for six centuries. The Burmese entered through the eastern borders. 1826 - Became a British protectorate when the Burmese ceded Assam to the British under the provision of the Treaty of Yandabo. ECONOMY AGRICULTURE The principal food crop is rice. Noteworthy horticulture items are orange, banana, pineapple, arecanut, coconut, guava, mango, jackfruit and citrus fruits. The State has an estimated 39.44 lakh hectares gross cropped area of which net area sown is about 27.01 lakh hectares. FORESTS Assam is known for her rich forest wealth. The total area under forests is 20.24 lakh hectares, out of which, area under reserved forests was 17.42 lakh hectares. This constitutes 22.21 per cent of the total forest area. BOUNDARIES : South: Tripura, Mizoram; South east: Manipur; North: Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh; West: West Bengal and Bangladesh; S INDUSTRY Tea is an important industry in the state. Presently four oil refineries have been working in the State including the one at Digboi. Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Amingaon near Guwahati is nearing completion. A Software Technology Park will be constructed at Borjhar near Guwahati. A Central Institute for Plastic Engineering Technology (CIPET) has been established at Amingaon near Guwahati. Cottage industries include handloom, sericulture, cane and bamboo

articles, carpentry, brass and bell-metal crafts. Assam produces varieties of silk, Endi, Muga, Tassar, etc., Muga silk is produced only in Assam in the world. IRRIGATION Irrigation potential created up to 1999-2000 was about 8.98 lakh hectares of which the Irrigation Deparatment had covered an area of 4.95 lakh hectares.

EDUCATION Prominent educational institutions are Gauhati University (Guwahati), Dibrugarh University (Dibrugarh) Tezpur University (Tezpur), Assam University (Silchar), Assam Agriculture University (Jorhat), Indian Institute of Technology (Guwahati) and National Institute of Technology (Silchar).

State Capital Patna Governor: Devanand Konwar Chief Minister : Nitish Kumar Legislature: Bicameral Lok Sabha seats : 40 Judicature : Patna HC No. of districts 38 Language : Hindi Dances : Bidesia, Chhau, Oraon Boundaries : East: West Bengal; North: Nepal; West: Uttar Pradesh, South: Jharkhand Main crops : Rice, wheat, oilseeds, pulses, tobacco, sugarcane, jute Rivers : Ganga, Sone, Kosi, Gandak, Sarayu Industry: Oil refineries Airports: Patna State Overview BOUNDARIES : East: West Bengal PHYSICAL FEATURES Bihar is one of the landlocked states. The river Ganga flows through the middle of the Bihar plain from west to east and divides it into two halves. The North Gangetic Plain consists of a flat alluvial region, and are prone to floods. The soil in the Bihar plain is composed mainly of new alluvium, which is mostly non-chalky and heavy-textured (clay and clay loam) towards the east, and chalky and light-textured (mostly sandy loam) towards the west of the Old Burhi Gandak river. In the south, the Gangetic Plain is more diversified than in the north. Many hills rise from the level alluvium that constitutes the Gangetic Plain. Except for Son, all the rivers are small, and their water is diverted into irrigation channels. The soil of the land is usually made up of older alluvium. The Kaimur Plateau lies in the extreme northwest. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Bihar is first mentioned in epics, the Vedas, Puranas, and was the main scene of activities of Buddha, and 24 Jain Tirthankars. Great rulers of the State before the Christian era were Bimbisar, Udayin, who founded the city of Pataliputra, other rular includes, Chandragupta Maurya, Emperor Ashoka and Maurya dynasty, the Sungs, and the Kanvas . POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS Kushan ruled after C h a n d r a g u p t a Vikramaditya of the Gupta dynasty. In the medieval period Muslim ruler Mohammed- bin- Bakhtiar Khalji arrived and conquerored Bihar

Tughluqs and Mughals followed the Khaljis. ECONOMY AGRICULTURE An area of 56.03 lakh hectare is net cultivated while gross cultivated area is 79.46 lakh hectares in the state. Bihar has notified forest area of 6,764.14 sq km, which is 7.1 per cent of its geographical area. INDUSTRY The state has large industrial development including Refinery, Fertilizer, Textile, Distilleries, Leather, Medicine and Food Processing units. Key industrial setups include, Railway Wagon Plants of Bharat Wagon Limited at Muzaffarpur and Mokamah; Oil Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation at Barauni; Fertilizer manufacturing plant of Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HPCL) at Barauni and Pyrites Phosphates & Chemicals Limited (PPCL) at Amjhor; Cotton Spinning Mills at Siwan, Pandaul, Bhagalpur, Mokamah and Gaya; EDUCATION Prominent institutes of higher education include B.N. Mandal University (Madhepura), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University (Muzaffarpur), Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya (Chapra), Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University (Darbhanga), Lalit Narayan Mithila University (Darbhanga), Magadh University (Bodh Gaya), Nalanda Open University (Patna), Patna University, Rajendra Agricultural University (Samastipur), Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (Bhagalpur) and Veer Kunwar Singh University (Arrah).

State Capital : Raipur Governor : E. S. L. Narshimhan Chief Minister : Dr. Raman Singh Legislature : Unicameral Lok Sabha seats : 11 Judicature : Bilaspur HC No. of districts : 16 Language : Hindi Main crops : Paddy, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds Minerals : Iron-ore, limestone, dolomite, coal, bauxite, corundum, granite, quartz, marble, diamond Industries : Indias 20% of steel and 15% of cement is produced in the state. Airports: Raipur (Bilaspur, Bhilai, Raigarh, Ambikapur, Korba, Jashpurnagar and Rajnandgaon are having temporary helipads/airstrips) State Overview BOUNDARIES : East: Orissa; North: Uttar Pradesh; South: Andhra PHYSICAL FEATURES The state has three agro-climatic zones namely Chhattisgarh plains, the northern hills of Chhattisgarh and the Bastar plateau. The Satpura mountain range lies in the northern part of the state; the plains of river Mahanadi and its tributaries lie in the central part of the state, while in the south lies the plateau of Bastar. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Sarabhpurias, Panduavanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri and Nagvanshi rulers dominated this region during the 6th to 12th centuries. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS The region was known as Dakshin-Kausal 980 to 1791 AD - Kalchuris ruled in Chhattisgarh 1 November 2000 - Chhattisgarh came into existence as the 26th State of the Union ECONOMY AGRICULTURE Kharif is the main cropping season which accounts for about 4,589 thousand hectares. Rice is the predominant crop. The state has one of the biggest collections of Rice Germplasm, which has approximately 21,000 entries. Horticulture crops are also grown in the state.

INDUSTRY Chhattisgarh is generously bestowed with natural resources like forests, minerals and surface water. There are approximately 133 steel re-rolling mills, a number of mini steel plants. 11 ferroalloy units, steel/cast iron casting units, engineering and fabrication units apart from large number of agro based and food preocessing, chemical, plastic, constructions material, forest produce based units. Strategically located in central India, Chhattisgarh is able to supply power to units for all the time. A huge coals reserve of the state (87 per cent of India) offers cheap pithead power generation opportunities, a potential to produce up to 50,000 MW of power. MINERAL RESOURCES Chhattisgarh hosts a wide variety of minerals found in igneous, sedimentary and metamorphis terrains. Large deposits of coal, iron ore, Limestone, Bauxite, Dolomite and Tin ore are located in several parts of the state. Lately Diamonditerous Kimberlites identical in Raipur district are likely to yield substantial quantity of Diamonds. Medium to small deposits of gold, base metals, quantite the soap stone. Twenty per cent of the countrys steel and cement is produced in the State. It is the only tinone producing state in the country. Chhattisgarh is nestling a top the worlds largest Kimberlite area. EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES The most well known among the institutes of higher education in the state are Pandit Ravishankar Shukia University (Raipur); Guru Ghasidas University (Bilaspur); Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (Raipur); Indira Kala Sangeet University (Khairagarh). INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHiPs (Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society) were setup E-Governance 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 Online Information for Citizen Empowerment).

Governor : Shivinder Singh Sidhu Chief Minister : Digambar Kamat Capital: Panaji Legislature: Unicameral Lok Sabha seats: 2 Judicature: Mumbai High Court Languages: Marathi, Konkani and English Population density: 363/sq km No. of districts: 2 Main crops: Rice, ragi, cashewnuts, coconut, groundnut, pulses, sugarcane Rivers: Mandovi, Zuari, Terkhol, Chaporaand Betul Minerals: Iron ore, manganese and bauxite Industries: Mining and various small-scale industries like manufacturing paper, soaps etc. Airport: Dabolim PHYSICAL FEATURES Goa is situated on the western (Konkan) coast of the Indian Peninsula, has a coastline of 131 km. It has a partly hilly terrain, with the Western Ghats rising to nearly 1200 metres in some parts of the state. The island of Goa lies between the mouths of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers, which are connected on the landward side by a creek. The island is triangular in shape, with a cape in the form of a rocky headland that divides the harbour of Goa into two parts Aguada at the mouth of the Mandovi, on the north, and Mormugao or Marmagao at the mouth of the Zuari, on the south. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Abounds in the rich historial heritage, Goa, was known by various names in the past, as Gomanchala, Gopakapattam, Gopakapuri, Govapuri, Gomantak, etc. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 14th century - Khiljis of Delhi displaced the empire of the Yadavas and thus Muslim rule came to Goa. 1498 - Vasco-da-Gama discovered sea route to India reached GOA, many Portuguese expeditions came to India. 1510 - Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa 1542 - Arrival of the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier, proselytisation began in Goa. 17th century - Shivaji conquered a few areas in and around Goa. But Portugese continued to rule over the territory. Even after Indias independence, Goa continued to be in the hands of the

Portuguese. The state was liberated on 19 December 1961, and made a composite union territory with Daman and Diu. On 30 May 1987 Goa was conferred statehood and Daman and Diu was made a separate union territory. The liberation of Goa by force during the primeministership of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru in the Dec. 1961 was most criticized by the western world.

Capital: Gandhinagar Governor: Dr. Kamal Beniwal Chief Minister: Narendra Modi Legislature: Unicameral Lok Sabha seats: 26 Judicature: Ahmedabad High Court No. of districts: 26 Language: Gujarati Main Crops: Rice, wheat, maize, groundnut, cotton, tobacco Rivers: Narmada, Tapti, Mahi, Sabarmati, Banas Airports: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Bhuj State Overview PHYSICAL FEATURES A vast salt marsh that stretches for about 18,000 sq km in Gujarat. The expansive Kathiawar Peninsula lies to the south of Kutch, between the Gulf of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambhat. This is another arid region and the coastal region gives way to a low area of wooded hilly region in the central part. The rivers of the state are mostly seasonal streams. The northeastern part of the state is primarily a region of plains and low hills. The highest point in the state is in the Girnar Hills (1,117 metres). HISTORICAL BACKGROUND It is belived that Lord Krishna left Mathura to settle on the west coast of Saurashtra which later came to be known as Dwarka, the gateway. It was during the rule of Chalukya (Solankis) that Gujarat, witnessed progress and prosperity. In spite of the plunderings of Mahmud Ghazani, the Chalukyan kings were able to maintain general prosperity and well - being of the State. After this glorious respite, Gujarat faced troubled times under the Muslims, Marathas and the British rule. Before Independence, the present territories of Gujarat used to be in two parts the British and the Princely States. POLITICAL DEVLOPMENTS Re-organisation of the States- the Union of the States of Saurshtra, Union Teritory of Katchha and former British Gujarat became a part of the biggest billingual State of Bombay. 1 May 1960- The present State of Gujarat came in to being.

Haryana Governor : Jagannath Pahadia Chief Minister : Bhupinder Singh Hooda Capital: Chandigarh Legislature: Unicameral Lok Sabha seats: 10 Judicature: Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh Languages: Haryanvi, Hindi Population density: 477/sq km No. of districts: 21 Main crops: Wheat, sugarcane, maize, oilseeds, cotton, rice, gram, jowar and poppy Rivers: Ghaggar Minerals: Limestone slates, dolomite, graphite, marble, china, clay, quartzites Industries: Automobile, sugar, paper, textiles, HMT unit. Airports: Chandigarh, Pinjore, Karnal, Hisar, Bhiwani, Narnaul

PHYSICAL FEATURES The state has four main geographical features: (i) The Shivalik hills in the north, source of main seasonal rivers; (ii) The Ghaggar-Yamuna plain, which is divided into two partsthe higher one called Bangar and the lower one Khadar; (iii) A semi-desert plain, bordering the state of Rajasthan and (iv) The Aravalli Hills in the south, a dry area with uneven landscape. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 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. Haryana functioned as an adjunct to Delhi and practically remained anonymous till the first war of Inidas Independence in 1857. When the rebellion was crushed and Nawabs of Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh, Raja of Ballabgarh and Rao Tula Ram of Rewari of the Haryana region were deprived of their territories. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS Haryana became a part of the Punjab province. 1 November 1966- Haryana was made into a full-fledged state, with the reorganisation of Punjab.

Governor : Prabha Rau Chief Minister : Prem Kumar Dhumal Capital: Shimla Legislature: Unicameral Lok Sabha seats: 4 Judicature: Shimla High Court Languages: Hindi and Pahari Population density: 109/sq km No. of districts: 12 Main crops: Wheat, maize, tea, fruit and poppy Rivers: Ravi, Chenab, Beas, Sutlej, and Yamuna Minerals: Iron, gypsum, limestone Industries: Resin, turpentine, fertiliser, cement and fruit processing Airports: Kullu, Kangra, Shimla PHYSICAL FEATURES Almost completely mountainous with attitudes varying from 350 m to 6,975 m above sea level, Himachal Pradesh can be divided into five zones: (i) Wet sub-temperate zone (parts of Kangra, Mandi and Chamba districts); (ii) Humid sub-temperate zone (Kullu and Shimla districts; parts of Mandi, Solan, Chamba, Kangra and Sirmaur districts); (iii) Dry temperate alpine highlands (parts of Lahaul and Spiti district); (iv) Humid subtropical zone (Sirmaur district; parts of Chamba, Solan and Kangra districts); and (v) Sub-humid subtropical zone (parts of Kangra district). HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In Puranic chronicles Himachal has been referred to as the abode of Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnars. In prehistoric times, it was inhabited by Kolls, Kirats and Nagas, followed by the IndoTibetans from the north, Indo-Aryans from the Indus valley and Khasas from Central Asia, migrated to this land of eternal snows and tranquil solitude. Mahabharata and Kumar Sambhava held this land in high esteem where Kunindas and Audumbaras established multitribal Kingdoms. During the medieval period, when there were invasions from the north-west, ruling clans of Rajputana and adjoining areas migrated to the hills and established their kingdom. These clans were primarily responsible in civilizing the local people besides patronising Pahari art and monumental architecture which has no other parallel in the annals of Indian art. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 15 April 1948 - The State came into being as a Union Territory, as a result of integration of 30 princely states 1954 - C class State of Bilaspur merged with Himachal Pradesh.

1966 - On reorganistion of the states the hilly areas of Punjab were merged with the state increasing its size to 55,673 sq km.