Himachal Pradesh State India

Area : 55,673 sq km

Population: 60,70,305 (Provisional); growth rate (1991-2001): 17.53%

Density per sq km: 109

Sex ratio (females per 1,000 males): 970

Literacy rate: 77.13% (males: 86.02%; females: 68.08%)

Capital: Shimla

No. of Districts: 12

Legislature: Unicameral

Principal Languages: Hindi and Pahari

Important Cities, Towns and Religious/Tourist Places:

Baijnath, Bhakar-Nangal, Bilaspur, Chail, Chamba, Chandwick Falls, Chintpurni, Craignano, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Hamirpur, Jwalamukhi, Jogindernagar, Kalpa, Kangra Valley, Kasauli, Keylong, Kufri, Kulu, Lahaul Valley, Kasauli, Keylong, Kufri, Kulu, Lahaul Valley, Mahasu, Manali, Mandi, Mashobra, Nahan, Naldera, Narkanda, Palanpur, Pangi Valley, Paonta Sahib, Parvati Valley, Phagu, Shimla, Prospect Hill, Rewalsar Lake, Solan, Spiti Valley, Summer Hill, Rewalsar Lake, Solan, Spiti Valley, Summer Hill, Tara Devi, Una, Wild Flower Hall are health resorts.

Temples at Chamunda Devi. Chintpurni Devi, Jakhu, Jwalajee. Naina Devi. Renuka and Rewalsar Deoth Siddh are pilgrimage centres. Ski courses are held at Narkanda. Museum-cum-art gallery in Naggar and Dharamsala. Tourist resort of Khajjair in Chamba district has been christened as the Switzerland of Himachal Pradesh.

Judicature: High court at Shimla.

Location: Himachal Pradesh is bounded north by Jammu and Kashmir, South by Uttaranchal and Uttar anchal and Uttar Pradesh, Tiber (China) in the east and Punjab in the west.

History:

Himachal Pradesh came into being on April 15, 9148 and comprised 30 former hill States. The State of Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh in 1954. The six original districts were: Mahasu, Sirmur, Mandi, Chamba, Bilaspur and Kinnaur.

On November 1,1966 under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 certain parts of the State of Punjab were transferred to Himachal Pradesh. These comprise the districts of Shimla, Kulu, Kangra and Lahaul and Spiti, and parts of Hoshiarpur and Ambala districts. Himachal Pradesh attained full statehood on January 25, 1971 as the 18th State of the Union.

Economy:

Agriculture and horticulture are the mainstay of Himachal Pradesh. About 76 percent of the total working population is engaged in these occupations. Fruits and cash crops, like seed potatoes, ginger, vegetable seeds, apples, stone fruits, etc. are grown in the State. Wheat, maize and rice are the major food crops.

Besides apples, excellent variety of plums, peaches and apricots is also grown. Forests cover 64 percent of the area of the State. Rock salt, slate, gypsum, limestone, barytes, dolomite and Pyrites are the important minerals of Himachal Pradesh.

Agro-horticulture produce, herbal resources, wool, sericulture and electronics industries have come up in Himachal Pradesh. There is also a brewery at Solan in the Private sector, also a brewery at Solan in the private sector, as also two big cement plants. One of the biggest fruit processing Plants in Asia in operation at Parwanoo. New power projects viz., Chamera II, Parbati Hydel Power Project and Kol Dam also being harnessed.

Himachal Pradesh State India