Chhattisgarh State

The state of Chattisgarh is located in the central part of India and was formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. The capital of the state is Raipur and is the 10th largest state of India by the means of area. The very state has derived its name from the 36 princely states in the length and breadth of this region from the ancient times. The state ahares its border with the states of Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh on the north. The most predominant language of the region is the Chhattisgarhi language, an important offshoot of the East-Central group of Indo-Aryan languages. However, according to the estimation of the linguists, it is often regarded as a dialect of Hindi and also is the official language of the state.

The state is comprised of striking diversities in respect of natural features. This is best found from the fact that the northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. Besides over forty-four percent of the state, approximately, is covered with forests. If one looks at the map of the state he/she will found that the northern part of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain. In this area the Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, flows with all might. On the other hand the eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau form an east-west belt of hills that play an effectual role in the division of the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. Now the central part of the state, as has already been said, is located in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi and its tributaries that makes the region extremely rich for panoptic rice cultivation. In addition, on one hand the upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper Narmada basin to the west by the Maikal range, part of the Satpuras, while on the other from the plains of Orissa to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River and its tributary the Indravati River. The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. Other main rivers are Hasdo (a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk and Arpa.

For the betterment of administration and also keeing the local interets in concern the whole of the state is divided into 18 districts like Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada (South Bastar), Dhamtari, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Kanker (North Bastar), Kawardha, Korba, Koriya, Mahasamund, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, and Surguja. Recently in the month of May 2007, 2 new districts were constituted by the state government for the sake of better administration. These new districts are Bijapur and Narayanpur.

The recent all-India studies have stated Chhattisgarh as one of the rapidly developing states of India. In the state the per capita income is around 250 USD as of 2001, but that is in part due to the neglect and under investment during it being the part of Madhaya Pradesh. Only 20% of population lives in urban areas. Other than this the presence of the giant Public Seotor Uits like Bhilai Steel Plant, S.E.C.Railway Zone, BALCO Aluminium Plant (Korba), and NTPC Korba (National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd) and S.E.C.L. (South Eastern Coalfields Limited) has ben playing a great role for the strengthening of the state’s economy. To satisfy the need of time the state is also going to introduce an ambitious project to become biofuel self-sufficient by 2015 by planting crops of jatropha.

The state of Chattisgarh is located in the central part of India and was formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. The capital of the state is Raipur and is the 10th largest state of India by the means of area. The very state has derived its name from the 36 princely states in the length and breadth of this region from the ancient times. The state ahares its border with the states of Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh on the north. The most predominant language of the region is the Chhattisgarhi language, an important offshoot of the East-Central group of Indo-Aryan languages. However, according to the estimation of the linguists, it is often regarded as a dialect of Hindi and also is the official language of the state.

The state is comprised of striking diversities in respect of natural features. This is best found from the fact that the northern and southern parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain. Besides over forty-four percent of the state, approximately, is covered with forests. If one looks at the map of the state he/she will found that the northern part of the state lies on the edge of the great Indo-Gangetic plain. In this area the Rihand River, a tributary of the Ganges, flows with all might. On the other hand the eastern end of the Satpura Range and the western edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau form an east-west belt of hills that play an effectual role in the division of the Mahanadi River basin from the Indo-Gangetic plain. Now the central part of the state, as has already been said, is located in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi and its tributaries that makes the region extremely rich for panoptic rice cultivation. In addition, on one hand the upper Mahanadi basin is separated from the upper Narmada basin to the west by the Maikal range, part of the Satpuras, while on the other from the plains of Orissa to the east by ranges of hills. The southern part of the state lies on the Deccan plateau, in the watershed of the Godavari River and its tributary the Indravati River. The Mahanadi is the chief river of the state. Other main rivers are Hasdo (a tributary of Mahanadi), Rihand, Indravati, Jonk and Arpa.

For the betterment of administration and also keeing the local interets in concern the whole of the state is divided into 18 districts like Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada (South Bastar), Dhamtari, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Kanker (North Bastar), Kawardha, Korba, Koriya, Mahasamund, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, and Surguja. Recently in the month of May 2007, 2 new districts were constituted by the state government for the sake of better administration. These new districts are Bijapur and Narayanpur.

The recent all-India studies have stated Chhattisgarh as one of the rapidly developing states of India. In the state the per capita income is around 250 USD as of 2001, but that is in part due to the neglect and under investment during it being the part of Madhaya Pradesh. Only 20% of population lives in urban areas. Other than this the presence of the giant Public Seotor Uits like Bhilai Steel Plant, S.E.C.Railway Zone, BALCO Aluminium Plant (Korba), and NTPC Korba (National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd) and S.E.C.L. (South Eastern Coalfields Limited) has ben playing a great role for the strengthening of the state’s economy. To satisfy the need of time the state is also going to introduce an ambitious project to become biofuel self-sufficient by 2015 by planting crops of jatropha.