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Area: 50, 362 sq. km,
Capital: Chandigarh;
Language: Punjabi;
Districts: 17;
Population (2001/1991):
24,289,296 / 20,190,795; Males: 12,1963,362 / 10,695,136; Females:
11325934 / 9,495,659;
Increase in (1991-2001)/ (1991-1981)
: 4,098,501/3,401,880
Growth Rate (per cent) 2001-1991:
19.76%
Density (persons per sq.km.):
401;
Urban Population:29.55%;
Sex Ratio (females per 1000 males):
874
Literacy: 57.14% Males:75/
63.68,Females:
63/49.72;
Per capita income (89-90):
Rs. 7081.
1991 Census final population total:
20,281,969.
2001 Census
(provisional results)
Physiography:Punjab is bounded on the west by Pakistan, on the north by Jammu and Kashmir, on the north east by Himachal Pradesh and on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan. Physically, the state may be divided into two parts, sub Shivalik strip and Sutlej-Ghaggar Plain. The sub-Shivalik strip covers the upper portion of Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts.
The Sutlej-Ghaggar Plain embraces the other districts of the Punjab. The land is highly fertile as they are formed by the tributaries of the Indus, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and the river Ghaggar.
History:The word "Punjab" is made up of two Persian words "Panj" and "Aab", Panj means five and Aab means water. This name was probably given to this land of five rivers possibly in an era when this region came into close contact with Persia. Prior to that period this region was known by different names at different times. Probably, when at the height of its glory, it was known as Sapta Sindhu, the land of the "seven rivers", namely Sindhu (Incus) Vitasta (Jhelum), Asuhi (Chenab), Purushin (Ravi), Vipasa (Beas), Satadru (Sutlej) and Saruri (Sarasvati). The last one is a dried up stream now and its traces, according to geologists, are found in the present seasonal streams that flow near Pehowa in Haryana. During the Greek occupation, the territory had shrunk into the area covering the five rivers.
Punjab lies in the north west of India. Being in the way of invaders from the north, Punjab has had to take a lot of battle from the invaders. Punjab emerges into history with the coming of the Aryans into India. The Aryans in the early Vedic age apparently settled in the Punjab and its neighbourhood. In 522 B.C. Darius of Persia conquered the territories around Punjab and made them a Satrapy of Persia. In 326 B.C., Alexander the Great overran Punjab. For a time, Mecedonian governors controlled Punjab but they were defeated by Chandragupta Maurya, who annexed the entire territory. With the decline of the Mauryan empire the Scythians occupied north west India and after them, the Parthians. The Kushans came next. Thereafter Punjab continued under indigenous rulers.
From the tenth century A.D. began a series of Muslim invasions culminating with Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire. With the decline of the Mughal empire two other Muslim invaders crossed into India, Nadir Shah in 1738 and Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1748, 1750 and 1751. Punjab had the worst of all these invasions.
The Sikh faith which played a decisive role in the creation of a Punjabi-speaking state came into being during a period of religious revival in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was founded as a new religious order by Guru Nanak. He was followed by nine Gurus. The subsequent 200 years witnessed the growth of Sikhism and its transformation into a militant organization.
Guru Angad modified the Gurumukhi script by combining the scripts current in north India at that time. Guru Ram Das laid the foundation of the city of Amritsar. Guru Arjun Dev compiled the Adi Granth. His son Guru Har Gobind started training his followers in the military art.
Punjab was annexed to British India by Lord Dalhousie in March, 1849. But the spirit of Punjab remained unvanquished. Through the centuries Punjab became the sword arm of British India. Punjab was constituted a separate province of India in 1937. With the partition of India, Punjab was divided between India and Pakistan as East Punjab and West Punjab. On Nov 1, 1956 the Princely States adjoining Punjab were formally absorbed into the Punjab State. On Nov. 1, 1966, Punjab was divided into three units - Punjab comprising the predominantly Punjabi-speaking areas, Haryana made up of the Hindi-speaking districts and Kharartehsil and Chandigarh, the capital. Hilly areas were transferred to Himachal Pradesh.
In Punjab, which has seen the worst violence in the last nearly ten years, a new era has dawned with the launching of' Operation Healing Touch. The State is now free of the depredations of terrorists. Mr K. P. S. Gill, the then Director General of Police can take the credit for the large-scale elimination of terrorism.
Administration:The
Legislature is unicameral. The state is divided into 17 districts. Of these,
Moga, Muktsar and Nawanshehr were inaugurated in Nov.'95.
State of Economy: Power (installed capacity): 3511 MW; Villages electrified: 100%; Industrial employment: 3.84 lakh; No. of industrial units: 11,114; No. of towns: 120, Road length: 54,885 km; People per phone: 60.20 Domestic airports: 4; Inflation: 8 7%.
Punjab is primarily an agrarian state and agriculture occupies the most prominent place in Punjab's economy. About 70 per cent of the people are engaged in agriculture. As against an all India average of 51 per cent, it has 85 per cent of its area under cultivation. The fertilizer consumption in Punjab is the highest in India. The efforts of the state government to provide irrigation facilities, cheap power and agriculture inputs at subsidised rates have acted as a catalyst for agricultural production. Total production of food grains rose from 170.92 lakh tonnes in 1987-88 to 207 lakh tonnes in 1992-93.
Agricultural production is now nearing the saturation point. Punjab's contribution is highest in the procurement of food grains for the central pool. Production of wheat in 96-97 was 136.78 lakh tonnes, a record.
Punjab produces 51.33 MT of milk p.a., which is 10% of India's milk production. Per capita availability of milk in the state is also the highest in the country. Per capita availability of eggs in Punjab is 90, the highest in India (national - 22).
As many as 188,000 small scale industrial units are registered in the state till April 1993 (as compared to 135,305 in 1987-88) with a capital investment of Rs. 1973 cr.
The chief manufactures are textiles, sewing machines, sports goods, sugar, starch, fertilizers, bicycles, scientific instruments, electrical goods, machine tools and pine oil. The size of Punjab's Ninth Plan is Rs. 11,550 cr., at 96-'97 prices. A Science City is being setup at Jalandhar. Infant mortality rate was 53 per 1000 in 1991.
Universities:Punjab Agl. University, Ludhiana; Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Thapar Inst. of Engg. and Tech., Patiala..
Tourist Centres: Punjab is dotted with places of historical and cultural interest. Ropar, one of the centres of Indus Valley civilization, Amritsar, the city of the Golden Temple, (now renamed Harmandir Sahib), sacred to the Sikhs, the ancient fort of Bhatinda, the architectural monuments of Kapurthala, the City of Gardens, Patiala and Chandigarh, the capital designed by the French architect Le Corbusier are among the leading tourist attractions of the state.
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