ORISSA

ORISSA

Area : 1,55,707 sq km , Population : 36,804,660
Capital : Bhubaneswar
Principal Language : Oriya

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

Orissa, the land of Oriyas, was known as Kalinga in ancient days. In the third century BC (261 BC) Ashoka the Mauryan emperor, sent a powerful force to conquer Kalinga which offered stubborn resistance. Kalinga was subdued but the carnage which followed, struck Ashoka with remorse. After the death of Ashoka, Kalinga regained its independence. In the second century BC, it become a powerful country under Kharavela. With the death of Kharavela, Orissa passed into obscurity. In the fourth century AD, Samudragupta invaded Orissa which lay astride his path and overcame resistance offered by five of its kings. In 610 AD, Orissa came under the sway of King Sasanka. After Sasank’s death, Harsha conquered Orissa.

Orissa had its own rulers (Ganga dynasty) in the seventh century AD. In 795 AD, Mahasivagupta Yajati II came to the throne and with him began the most brilliant epoch in the history of Orissa. He united Kalinga, Kangoda, Utkal and Koshala in the imperial tradition of Kharavela. Under the kings of Ganga dynasty, Orissa continued to flourish. Narasingha Dev of this dynasty is reputed to have built the unique Sun Temple of Konark. From mid-16th Century, Orissa was ruled successively by five Muslim kings till 1592, when Akbar annexed it into the Mughal empire. With the decline of the Mughal empire, Marathas occupied Orissa. They continued to hold it till the British took over in 1803. Orissa was made into a separate province on 1 April 1936. After Independence, princely states in and around Orissa surrendered their sovereignty to the Government of India. By the States Merger (Governor’s provinces) Order, 1949 the princely states of Orissa were completely merged with the state of Orissa in January 1949. Although the state of Orissa had many ancient names like Kalinga, Utkal and Udra, it is widely known as the land of Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath is intimately connected with the social, cultural and religious life of Orissa. Jainism, Islam and Christianity have had considerable impact on the people of Orissa in different periods. Orissa is situated in the north-eastern part of the Indian peninsula. It is bound by the Bay of Bengal on the east, West Bengal on the north-east, Jharkhand on the north, Chhattisgarh on the west and Andhra Pradesh on the south. The state may be broadly divided into four geographical regions-the northern plateau, central river basin, eastern hills and coastal plains.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture occupies a vital place in the economy of the State. It contributes 26 per cent of the net domestic product of the state. 65 per cent of the total work force directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture. The production of foodgrains has fluctuated over the years. This is due to various natural calamities. However, during 2006-07, about 73.45 lakh MT of food grains were produced in the State. Paddy is the principal food grain and its production during 2006-07 was 10341 TMT. Sugarcane cultivation has been widely accepted by the farmers.

IRRIGATION

Irrigation is one of the key factors not only to stabilize agricultural production but also to encourage farmers to go for higher application of inputs and adoption of most modern technology to increase production. By the end of year 2006-07 about 28.31 lakh hactares of land has ben brought under irigation.

POWER

The total power generation in states sector during 2005-06 was 3095 MUs. Out of 46,989 inhabited villages in the state 38,044 village have been electrified till the end of March-2006.

INDUSTRY

The Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation Limited (IPICOL), Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDCOL) and Orissa State Electronics Development Corporation (OSEDC) are the three nodal agencies for promotion of large and medium industries in the State. To aecelerate the pace of Industrial Development MoUs for investment of over 4 lakh crores signed with reputed national and international investors in steel, aluminium and alumina, petrochemical, I.T. and ITES, Thermal Power Generation and other sectors. the state is also providing institutional and financial support with various incentives and concessions for promotino of small- scale, village and cottage industries. By the end of 2006-2007, there were about 4550 micro, small and medium enterprises production with an investment of Rs. 271.14 crore providing employment opportunities for 20,839 persons.

TRANSPORT

During 2006-07 the total road length of the state comprising 3,596 kms National Highway, 29 kms State Express Highway, 3855 kms State Highway, 3842 kms of Major District Roads, 6,515 kms of other District Roads, 27,284 kms Rural Roads, 20,314 kms Panchayat Samiti Roads, 1,39,942 kms Gram Panchayat Roads, 7,298 kms Forest Roads, 17,282 kms Urban Roads, 6,277 kms Irrigation Roads and 88 kms GRIDCO road.

Railways :
The State had 2339 kms of railway route including 54 kms of narrow gauge . There are 234 railway stations and 127 Passenger halts in the State.

Aviation :
Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India has taken up expansion and modernisation of Bhubaneswar Air Port (Biju Patnaik Air Port) in view of its geographical, tourist and commercial importance. Flights from Bhubanewswar to cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai are available.

Ports :
Among the 11 major ports in the country, Paradeep is the only port belonging to Orissa. Besides, construction of mega port of international standard at Dhamra has now commenced. Gopalpur is going to be an all-weather Port for which work has already started. Several port developers have also shown interest in putting up all- weather port at Subarnarekha mouth (Kirtania) in Balasore and Devi mouth at Astaranga. With the development of these ports Orissa's coastline will be a major hub of international trade.

GOVERNMENT

Governor : Muralidharan Chandrakanta
Chief Secretary : Shri Ajit Kumar Tripathy Bhandare
Chief Minister : Naveen Patnaik
Chief Justice : Dr. Balbir Singh Chauhan
Acting Speaker : Prahallad Dora
Jurisdiction of High Court : Orissa