PUNJAB SOME VITAL AND INTERESTING FACTS
by Dr. Gopal Krishan
Punjab has been the gateway of India in the Past, "and as 'such, had a position of commanding significance in the history this sub-continent. It has been aptly called the sword-arm of India. Some of the foreign battles that changed the course of Indian history were fought either on its soil or in its close vicinity. It has also been the birthplace of one of the most dynamic-and the youngest of great religions of the world. It is, therefore, worthwhile for the Punjabis wherever they may be here or abroad, to know some' of the essential facts pertaining to Punjab, so that they may establish o deeper fraternity and a closer intimacy with the land of their origin.
This traditional land
of five (Punj) rivers (ab) whose ancientness is traceable to the beginnings of
time has been subjected to several territorial changes and re-organisations
before and after independence. But it assumed its present form only as recently
as in 1966. In the Process, it became demographically more homogeneous but got
reduced to one-seventh of its area size that it had before the partition of the
Indian subcontinent in 1947.
Punjab is today the only
Sikh majority state of India. According to the 1991 census, 63 Per cent of
its total population is Sikh, 34.5 per cent Hindu, 1.2 Per cent Muslim, 1.1 per
cent Christian, 0.1 Per cent Buddhist and Jain each, and the remaining few
adhering to other religious persuasions. Around 85 per cent of its people are
Punjabi speaking.
Covering an area of
50,362 sq. kms., Punjab recorded a Population of 20 million in 1 991 . lts
population is larger than that of Australia. On 1 .5 per cent of the country's total
area, it accomodates 2.4 Per cent of the total population of India' The State
is divided, into 17 districts, 55 subdivisions and 137 development blocks for
administrative and development purposes.


Punjab is
distinguished for its most successful Green Revolution. Agriculture is now highly
commercialized and is made a prosperous venture. The State is the largest
contributor to the national pool of wheat and rice for the public distribution
system.
Punjab is mainly a flat, featureless plain. Nine-tenths of
it is at an elevation ranging from 300 metres in the northeast to 180 metres in
the southwest. The Shivalik hills, 300 to around 1000 metres high, make a
distinct appearance all along the northeastern border. Sand dunes are
sporadically distributed in the southwest.
The Ravi, the Beas
and the Satluj are its perennial rivers. Their waters are of the highest
significance and importance to the Punjab agriculture and its progress and well
being. The Bhakra-Nangal Power and irrigation Project has transformed its own
economy as well as that of the neighbouring states. The Rajasthan canal, one of
the largest in the world, originates from the Beas-Satluj confluence at Harike.
lts water is made available for irrigation in the Rajasthan desert.

The state has a
semi-arid to sub-humid climate. Rainfall
-decreases from around 100cm. in the northeast to southwest. Irrigation is indispensable
for good agriculture. This challenge has been admirably nret. 89% of Punjab's
cultivated area is irrigated, which is the highest percentage for any Indian
state. ln Ludhiana and Amritsar districts, virtually the entire cultivated area
receives irrigational facilities. On the whole tube wells take care of about 60
percent of the irrigated area and canals of the remaining 40 percent o' "l
Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana, has played a key role in revolutionizing the field of
agricultural production. As a result the per hectare production of wheat and
rice is said to be the highest in the country. Wheat is the king crop, sharing 40o/o
of the cropped area. Rice accounts for 25o/o. Both are cash crops. Cotton is
grown over 10o/o of the cropoed area. Vegetables, mainly potato and onion,
utilize 5% of the cropped area. lnfact, the state's contribution to the central
foo-d kitty surpasses that of others. The per hectare utilization of fertilizers
in Punjab is also the highest in the country. Again, Punjab tops in quality
cane production in the country. The number of tractors used in the State is
also the high
The Rice, which is
not a soil friendly crop for Punjab, due to the semi-arid climate of the state,
demands heavy irrigation, and is largely dependent on tube wells for this
purpose. The excessive withdrawal of sub-surface water has caused an alarming
decline in the water table. Thus the agricultural prosperity of the state also carries a lot of
ecological cost.
The state enjoys the
distinction of having the highest daily wage rate of Rs.16.44 in the country
for the agricultural labour. There are about a dozen milk plants in the public,
co-operative and private sectors to provide
marketing facilities to milk producers throughout the year. As a result, the
per capita availability of" milk has risen to 524 gm. as compared to 160
gm. in the country.
Punjab's performance
in the industry does not compare well with its success in agriculture. The state
is a priority area for agriculture at the national level, but not for industry.
The pace of industrialization has been steady rather than rapid. Recent
policies aim-at giving a spurt to industry. There is a significant success in
this domain also. Gains in industrial development would have been greater if
the state had not faced the recent political turmoil which roused a feeling of
insecurity among the enterpreneurs. An effective, clean and stable government
in a peaceful atmosphere would attract capital from outside also, giving it a strong
industrial base soon.

Punjab can boast of
hundred percent electrification and adequate means of irrigation. Practically
every village in the state is electrified and is connected with a paved road.
The important irrigation schemes implemented since 1947 are the Bhakra Nangal
Dam, the Bhakra canals, the Harike barrage with a lined canal called the
Sirhind plant, and the reshaping of the Madhopur
water works into a barrage. The Pong Dam on the Beas river is an important
hydroelectric project-its fourth unit was commissioned in October 1983, while
the second unit of stage ll of the Ropar thermal plant began functioning two years
later. As per available statistics about 36.21 lakh hectare area is being
provided with irrigation facilities by a vast network of 14,482 km, of
irrigation channels and 6.47 lakh tubewells. The utilisation of water in the
state is the best in the country.
Several central
villages of Punjab have acquired urban functions of an agricultural market
centre, a health centre and a college. Towns are closely spaced and rural urban
commuting is common. ln contrast to the general pattern in India, the ave.rage
assets of a rural household are two times greater than those of its urban
counterparts in other states. The incidence of rural poverty is less than that
of the urban poverty as compared to those in other parts of the country.

Traditionally Punjab
has been divided into three regions : (i) The Majha located between the Ravi and
the Beas (ii) the Doaba, located between the Beas and the Satluj and (iii)
Malwa located between the Satluj and the Ghaggar. All these regions are
seperated'by rivers. ln the past, they had developed some specific
characteristics, reflected primarily in their dialects and the spheres of
social interaction. A,\ Superimposed upon this tttUitional regionalisation of
Punjab was its division into the British administered territory and princely ruled
states during 1849-1947. The former covered 55 per cent of the present area of
the State and the latter 45 per cent . The former registered a faster
development than the latter.
The pattern of development since independence has brought
further changes in the re gional geography of the State. Now it can be divided
into three regions based on the level and nature of socio-economic advancement.
These include : (i) The Central Region, covering the districts of Amritsar,
Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala, which are the
most developed ; (ii) the Northeastern Region, spread over the districts of
Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Rupnagar, which is comparatively the
least developed ; and (iii) the Southwestern Region, including the districts of
Firozpur, Moga', Faridl<ot , Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur, which are
moderately developed as comqared to the two other regions.
Punjab need's to be visited by all those who wanl:to see a
hardworking an
d dynami,c people striving joyously to improve their life and living.
lt is a model for what an Indian state can achi,eve through its agricultural
transformation, rural-urban integration. and enterprise of the people Amritsar
is the holiest city for the Sikhs lts Golden Temple is visited by devotees from
all over the world. Ludhiana is the only metropolitan city in this yrart of India.
The Punjab Agricultural University located here has made a significant contribution
to the agricultural advancement of the State. Patiala still retains some of its
historic past for it has been the seat of government of a princely state.
Thus this state, which has a fertile soil a strong and sturdy people fired with it rare
enterprising zeal, a rich cultural heritage a glorious history needs to be
further studied and get acquainted with, by all those who love it.
A view of Bhai
Gurdas Library, Guru Nanak Dy University, Amritsar
Blessed by the Gurus the Punjabis are also famous for their service
to the downtrodden and the sick Pingalwara of Bhagat Photo: G. S. Heera
Puran Singh.
Photo; H. S. Baiwa
Photo H. S. Bajwa
3 comments:
punjab di balle balle baki sara hindustan ....... tahnu pta he va
OK . This is well written and impressive . Maybe articles such as these should be accompanied by a map of the Punjab and its districts.
Districts Map of Punjab
Districts Map of Punjab
While the booking police officer removes individual info regarding the suspect as well as confiscates their individual items, the mug shot recognizes and also videotapes the arrestee. Sufferers and also private investigators utilize the mugshot to determine the perpetrator of a criminal activity or situate a fugitive. Visit Athens-Clark County mugshots for more info.
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