Revision as of 22:58, 4 April 2017

The source of this article

INDIA 2012

A REFERENCE ANNUAL

Compiled by

RESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISION

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Uttar Pradesh

Area : 2,40,928 sq km

Population : 16,61,97,921 (Census 2001) 19,95,81,477 (Prov. Census 2011)

Capital : Lucknow

Principal Languages : Hindi and Urdu

HISTORY

The history 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 Bhardwaja, Gautam, Yagyavalkaya, Vashishtha, 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 excellence 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 164.17 lakh hectare.

INDUSTRY AND MINERALS

There were 6,12,338 Small Scale Industries with involving a total investment of 7172 crores, as per earlier records.

Under the public sector, mining of limestone, magnesite, coal, rock phosphate, dolomite and silicon-sand is carried out. The bulk production of minor and some of the major minerals like limestone, silica-sand, magnesite, pyrophyllite and diaspore is mostly with the private sector. Important mineral 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 2001-02 the total installed capacity was 4659 MW, in 2006-07 it was 5011 MW which has now been raised upto 5077 MW. During 2001-02 the total power production was 226330 lakh KW and in the year 2006-07 it was 229692 which is at present 227099 during the year 2007-08. The total consumption of power during the year 2001-02 was 253302 lakh KW.

Power is an important input to accelerate the process of economic growth. The installed capacity of re-organized Uttar Pradesh during Tenth Five Year Plan was 7821.82 MW. Only 56.6 per cent of 97135 villages were electrified and 7.88 lakh private tubewells were energized. 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 5414 MW (derated 5,885.75 MW).

TRANSPORT

Roads : The total road length of PWD in the State is 146728 km. This includes 3820 km of national highways, 8391 km of state highways, 119726 of other district roads and 134517 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-Barelli).

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 numbers to have a dip in the holy Sangam. Among other fairs is the fortnight long Jhoola fair of Mathura, Vrindavan and Ayodhya, when dolls 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 Garhmukteshwar, 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 become 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 Chisti 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.

GOVERNMENT

Governor : Shri B.L. Joshi

Chief Secretary : Shri Anoop Mishra (2012)/ Sh Jawed Usmani

Chief Minister : Kumari Mayawati

Jurisdiction of High Court

Uttar Pradesh

AREA, POPULATION AND HEADQUARTERS OF DISTRICTS

Sl. No. District Area (sq km) Population (Census 2001) Headquarters

1. 2 3 4 5

1. Agra 4,027 36,20,436 Agra

2. Aligarh 3,650 29,92,286 Aligarh

3. Allahabad 5,482 49,36,105 Allahabad

4. Azamgarh 4,054 39,39,916 Azamgarh

5. Bahraich 4,420 23,81,072 Bahraich

6. Balia 2,981 27,61,620 Balia

7. Banda 4,460 15,37,334 Banda

8. Barabanki 4,402 26,73,581 Barabanki

9. Bareilli 4,120 36,18,589 Bareilli

10. Basti 2,688 20,84,814 Basti

11. Bijnore 4,561 31,31,619 Bijnore

12. Badaun 5,168 30,69,426 Badaun

13. Bulandshahar 4,352 29,13,122 Bulandshahar

14. Deoria 2,538 27,12,650 Deoria

15. Etah 4,446 27,90,410 Etah

16. Etawah 2,311 13,38,871 Etawah

17. Faizabad 2,341 20,88,928 Faizabad

18. Ambedkar Nagar 2,350 20,26,876 Akbarpur

19. Fatehpur 4,152 23,08,384 Fatehpur

20. Farukkhabad 2,181 15,70,408 Fatehgarh

21. Gaziabad 1,148 32,90,586 Gaziabad

22. Gautam Buddha Nagar 1,442 12,02,030 Noida

23. Gazipur 3,377 30,37,582 Gazipur

24. Gonda 4,003 27,65,586 Gonda

25. Gorakhpur 3,321 37,69,456 Gorakhpur

26. Hamirpur 4,282 10,43,724 Hamirpur

27. Hardoi 5,986 33,98,306 Hardoi

28. Jalaun 4,565 14,54,452 Orai

29. Jaunpur 4,038 39,11,679 Jaunpur

30. Jhansi 5,024 17,44,931 Jhansi

31. Kanpur (Dehat) 3,021 15,63,336 Akbarpur Mati

32. Kanpur (City) 3,155 41,67,999 Kanpur

33. Lakhimpur Kheri 7,680 32,07,232 Kheri

34. Lalitpur 5,039 9,77,734 Lalitpur

35. Lucknow 2,528 36,47,834 Lucknow

36. Mainpuri 2,760 15,96,718 Mainpuri

37. Mathura 3,340 20,74,516 Mathura

38. Meerut 2,590 29,97,361 Meerut

39. Mirzapur 4,521 21,16,042 Mirzapur

40. Moradabad 3,718 38,10,983 Moradabad

41. Muzaffarnagar 4,008 35,43,362 Muzaffarnagar

42. Pilibhit 3,499 16,45,183 Pilibhit

43. Pratapgarh 3,717 27,31,174 Pratapgarh

44. Raibareilli 4,609 28,72,335 Raibareilli

45. Rampur 2,367 19,23,739 Rampur

46. Jyotiba Phule Nagar 2,249 14,99,068 Jyoitba Phule Nagar

47. Saharanpur 3,689 14,99,068 Saharanpur

48. Shahjahanpur 4,575 25,47,855 Shahjahanpur

49. Sitapur 5,743 36,19,661 Sitapur

50. Unnao 4,558 27,00,324 Unnao

51. Sultanpur 4,436 32,14,832 Sultanpur

52. Varanasi 1,535 31,38,671 Varanasi

53. Mau 1,713 18,53,997 Mau

54. Siddharthnagar 2,895 20,40,085 Navgarh

55. Firozabad 2,361 20,52,958 Firozabad

56. Sonbhadra 6,788 14,63,519 Robertsganj

57. Maharajganj 2,952 21,67,041 Maharajganj

58. Sant Ravidas Nagar 1,015 13,53,705 Bhadohi

59. Mahoba 2,884 7,08,447 Mahoba

60. Hathras 1,840 13,36,031 Hathras

61. Kaushambi 1,780 1293154 Kaushambi

62. Kushinagar 2,906 28,93,196 Podraune

63. Chandauli 2,541 16,43,251 Chandauli

64. Balrampur 3,349 16,82,350 Balrampur

65. Shrawasti 2,458 11,76,391 Shrawasti

66. Chitrakoot 3,164 7,66,225 Chitrakoot

67. Baghpat 1,321 11,63,991 Baghpat

68. Kannauj 2,093 13,88,923 Kannauj

69. Orriya 2,015 11,79,993 Orraiya

70. Sant Kabir Nagar 1,646 14,20,226 Khalilabad

71. Kanshi Ram Nagar - 92,485 Kanshi Ram Nagar

72. Chattrapati Sahuji 3,044 18,87,120 Gauriganj Maharaj Nagar

Villages with strange names

The Times of India

Mar 17 2015

Eram Agha

From `posterior' of UP, calls for a name change

Just how some villages in Uttar Pradesh got their names, no one now knows or remembers. But dozens across the state continue to live with the ignominy of names that translate into everything from `posterior' to `genitalia', from `excrement' to `rotten'. MP of Aligarh Satish Gautam has an interesting story to tell. When he first went to Parliament, he needed to fill some documents and give his address. Asked the name of his village, he said, “Sada“. The woman at the desk could not believe her ears, the MP recalls, and repeatedly asked him to spell it out. “Finally, I said, `Take a guava, keep it out for 10 days.It will rot. That is what my village is called'.“

Gautam is keen that his village be renamed to ` Anand Nagar'. But he's lucky that he's getting away with just `rotten'. Other villages have names that cannot even be mentioned. Like the one in Rehmatpur, Aligarh, that has `posterior' prefixed to it.

Another one in Hathras translates into `excreta' in English.

“These names have passed down several generations and there are traditions and legends associated with them that have somehow slid into oblivion,“ said Shamim Ahmad Khan, district magistrate of Hathras, trying to explain. “Some of these were nicknames and now continue as official names. People want to live in a village with a nice name. That is understandable. If people demand change and pursue their demands, the name could be changed -through a decision of the government after an inquiry into what the panchayat seeks.“

Changing a village name, however, could prove a longdrawn affair. Ask Pawan Sisodia, who lives in, let's just say, `Excreta'. In 2000, local people sought that the village be renamed Prem Nagar. Sisodia, now 27, is still at it.

“Changing the name of a village requires consistency and patience,“ Sisodia said. “Villagers thought the name could be changed in a matter of weeks. That is just not possible. If we had pursued the matter, our vil lage might have been called Prem Nagar.“ While the village in Hathras could not be renamed as the matter was not diligently pursued, the renaming of `Posterior' got stuck for quite another reason. There was no consensus on an alternative name.

Former pradhan Surender Kumar said, “Our village has a mix of castes -Brahmins, Baghel, Dalits.Everyone wants to choose the name in honour of each group's ancestors or heroes.The matter got stuck.“

So women from the village who visit doctors outside or commute elsewhere are still teased by auto-drivers and rickshaw-wallahs, even bus drivers and conductors.

Power (electric)

Technical and commercial (AT&C) losses

Pankaj Shah, Only one out of 5 consumers pays power bill on MSY turf, Mar 31, 2017: The Times of India

Out of every five electricity consumers in Etawah, the home district of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, only one pays the bill. The situation is almost similar in Kannauj, the parliamentary constituency of SP president Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple.

The parliamentary constituency and home district of UP chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath, Gorakhpur too reports very high rate of power theft.In fact, in Kauriram division of Gorakhpur, power pilferage is to the tune of over 80%.

These startling findings are from an internal assess ment report on aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses prepared by the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL).The report has data till December 2016, a month before the notification for the UP assembly election came into effect. The report, that poses a challenge at a time when the UP govern ment is gearing up to implement the Centre's flagship `24x7 power for all' scheme, categorically highlights that of the total power supplied, almost 31% got pilfered in the 13 months between December 2015 and December 2016. This was over double the 15% man dated by the Central Electricity Authority . The report shows that almost 16,000 million units of power, accounting for over Rs 6,500 crore, were lost in pilferage and transmission losses.

According to the report , the highest power theft rate of around 44% was recorded in the Dakshinanchal Distribution Company which supplied power to districts like Agra and Mathura. This meant almost every second consumer did not pay for electricity consumed. Industry experts said 24x7 electricity for all will not materialise until power theft is not checked. Sources said UPPCL was planning to carry out an exhaustive anti-theft drive in several districts.

Awadh region

Status in 2017

Subodh Varma, Feb 18, 2017: The Times of India

Lucknow and Kanpur, some socio-economic indicators, February 2017; Subodh Varma, Feb 18, 2017: The Times of India

Ashokan relics jostle with medieval mosques and forts and colonial ruins in this vast plain farmed for millennia, watered by numerous tributaries of the Ganga and Yamuna. This history is not just in the ruins. It is reflected in occupations -floral essences are still distilled in Kannauj, cotton durries and carved wooden doors crafted in Sitapur, Lucknow is known for its zardozi embroidery and leather saddles are being made in Kanpur and Unnao.Modernity too rubs shoulders with this artisanal history .Barabanki is a top mentha and opium growing centre, Farrukhabad is UP's highest potato growing district with many cold storages.

WEALTHY CITIES

The region is dominated by two metropolises. Lucknow, the state capital and Kanpur, one of India's oldest industrial cities now in decline. Between the two, they account for over 57% of the urban population in this region, 41% of its domestic product and 60% of its business or manufacturing establishments. They together produce over 7% of UP's domestic product, despite Kanpur's leather industry suffering a decline.If wealth and productive capacity, and all that goes with it -urban life, hospitals and colleges, malls and cinema theatres -is so concentrated in the two cities, what's there in the rest of the region?

SINKING REGION

Farming is the main occupation with very little industry except for the small sweat shops producing ittar in Kannauj and menthol in Barabanki, besides agroprocessing units scattered in the region. Water from the braided rivers, canals and also ponds and lakes in the Barabanki-Sitapur belt is plentiful. Cultivation of mainly wheat, followed by paddy , pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and mangoes is ubiquitous, with some farmers even sowing five crops in a year. But with 73% cultivated area operated by small and marginal farmers and a large presence of the landless, all this has not translated in to overall prosperity.

ANAEMIC PEOPLE

Health indicators collected for the annual health survey by the Census office reveal a chilling state of affairs indicative of extreme poverty, even next door to the twin cities. In most districts, in particular Barabanki, Sitapur, Hardoi, Auraiya and Kannauj, undernourishment is pervasive with 35-40% of working age population affected. Anemia affects around 80% of children going up to 89% in Barabanki. In the adult population, especially women, anaemia was found in around 90% of the population. Infant mortality rates are almost a third higher than the state average of 68 child deaths for every 1000 live births while death rates of mothers due to pregnancy or child birth complications is at a staggering 311 per one lakh births in the Lucknow division comprising five districts. That the healthcare delivery system is cracked across the region is shown by the fact that 10%-20% children in districts like Farrukhabad or Hardoi are not immunised at all.