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| Himachal Pradesh , Indian State | |||||||||||||||||||
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The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts, warm and temperate , cool and temperate and cold alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation. The major rivers of Himachal Pradesh are Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna. Economy of Himachal Pradesh The economy of Himachal Pradesh consists mainly of agriculture. The country`s horticulture is making a name even abroad. 93% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Its road system has emerged as the best and its infrastructure for industrial development is well laid. Suitable agricultural machinery and good breeds of cattle, sheep and poultry are introduced here. Well-equipped soil testing laboratories, dairy farms and agricultural workshops were established at various centers. There is an Agriculture university at Palampur. Himachal Pradesh ranks fourth in respect of per capita income among the states of the Indian Union. Government and politics of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy.Universal adult suffrage is granted to its residents. The legislature consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker in case of Speaker`s absence.  The authority is vested on the Council of Ministers who are headed by the Chief Minister. The Governor appears to be the titular head of the State. He is appointed by the President of India.
The Assembly is unicameral with 68 Members of the Legislative Assembly. The terms of office is for five years unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. The local affairs are governed by the panchayats. The major political parties of the state are the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, All India Tribes and Minorities Front, Him Loktantrik Morcha, Himachal Kranti Party, Himachal Vikas Congress, Janhit Morcha, Lok Raj Party Himachal Pradesh and Loktantrik Morcha. The judiciary is composed of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and a system of lower courts. Education of Himachal Pradesh It was in 1969, that the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education came into existence through the Act No.14 of 1968. Till 1982, the headquarters of the Board was at Shimla. From there it was shifted to Dharamshala in Kangra District in 1983. The Board at present conducts examinations for the 8th, 10th, Plus One and Plus Two classes. The Board is also conducting the departmental examination like J.B.T., T.T.C and P.V.T.C. Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest literacy rates in India. The education rates among women are quite higher. Government is strictly seeing that all children are getting the oppurtunity for primary education. Himachal has now became the first state in India to make elementary education accessible to every child. There are over 10,000 primary schools, 1,000 secondary schools and more than 1,300 high schools in Himachal. The state has several reputed educational institutes for higher studies. Some of the pioneer institutes in the state are The Himachal Pradesh University ,the NIT Hamirpur Government has decided to start three nursing colleges to develop the health system in the state. Districts of Himachal Pradesh The district of Himachal Pradesh is an administrative geographical unit that is headed by the Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Himachal Administrative Service and other Himachal state services. The Superintendent of Police is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts. These are Kangra,Hamirpur,Mandi,Bilaspur,Una,Chamba,Lahul and Spiti,Sirmaur,Kinnaur,Kullu,Solan and Shimla. Transport of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh is connected to other parts of the state by means of Road, Rail and Air. Road: The total length of the road is 21,935km. Himachal Pradesh has 8 national highways with a length of 1, 279km. During the winter and monsoon seasons some of the roads get closed. Bus services connect Shimla with Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali, Delhi, Mandi, Pathankot, Amble, Chail and Dehradun. Most of the important places of Himachal Pradesh are well connected with the roadways. Eight national highways (NH) pass through the state with a total length of 1235 km. The major local transport available here are the local taxis. Hamirpur district has got the highest road density in the country. Rail: Himachal Pradesh is not very well connected by railways. Himachal has two narrow gauge rail tracks. The Kalka-Shimla Railway track has a length of 96 kilometers. It passes through 102 tunnels and crosses 864 bridges The Pathankot-Jogindernagar line is the longest railway line connecting Punjab with Himachal Pradesh. The other railway tracks pass through Shimla, Solan and Una. Air: The state has 3 airports at Bhuntar, Jubbarhatti and Gaggal. The air routes connect the state with Delhi and Chandigarh. There are no international airports in Himachal Pradesh.There are 35 helicopters that are available for operation in the State. Demographics of Himachal Pradesh As per the2001 census the population of Himachal Pradesh is 6,077,248. The sex ratio was 970 females per thousand males. The total literacy rate of the State rose to 77.13% from 63.94%. The crime rate of the state is very low. There are a multitude of races, cultures and communities in Himachal. The people live in a relatively closed society. Flora and Fauna of Himachal Pradesh  68% of the land area of Himachal Pradesh is covered with forests. The southern areas are filled with flora as sal, sisham, chir pine. The temperate region are filled with oaks, deodar, blue pine, fir and spruce. The regional vegetation are alders, birches, rhododendrons and moist alpine scrubs. There are attractive meadows and pastures all over Himachal Pradesh. After the winter, the hill sides are filled with attractive wild flowers. The flowers that are cultivated here are gladiolas, carnations, marigolds, roses, chrysanthemums, tulips and lilies. With all the flowers Himachal Pradesh is blooming with heavenly beauty. The Government is trying to make Himachal Pradesh the flower basket of the world.
Himachal Pradesh abounds with animals. The animals found here are leopards, ghoral, musk deer and monal. The state animal is the musk deer and the state bird is monal. The important parks are the Great Himalayan National Park , Pin Valley National Park. The sanctuaries of Himachal are Simbalbara Sanctuary, Churdahar Sanctuary, Renuka Sanctuary, Maha Rana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary and the Chail Sanctuary. Media in Himachal Pradesh. The newspapers and magazines of Himachal Pradesh are published in more than one language. The people are media-aware. The major newspapers of the state are The Telegraph,The Statesman,Asian Age, Hindustan Times,Punjab Kesari and The Times of India . The major state-owned television channel available here is Doordarshan. Besides the AIR, private FM tations are available in Shimla. The available cellular phone operators are BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Tata Indicom, Hutch and Airtel. Sports of Himachal Pradesh The major sports are trekking and hang-gliding. Hang-gliding competitions are held in Kangra valley. Solang Nallah slopes are getting popular for winter sports. Cities of Himachal Pradesh Costumes of Himachal Pradesh Culture of Himachal Pradesh Festivals of Himachal Pradesh Folk Dances of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Museums Temples of Himachal Pradesh Tribes of Himachal Pradesh Tribal Jewelry of Himachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||||||||
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Himachal Pradesh is known as Nature`s Paradise.Located in the western Himalayas, it is bordered by Tibet and the states of Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and covers an area of 21495 sq mi its capital being the magnificent hill station Shimla. It is so beautiful and exotic with its eternal snow peaks, striking valleys, glorious green hill-slopes, snowcapped mountains and gushing streams. All these add to the natural beauty of the place. The state government is trying to make Himachal Pradesh as the flower basket of the world
Tourists from all over the world are attracted by the hills of Himachal Pradesh. The place is very tranquil and serene. Himachal Pradesh is full of hill resorts, pilgrimages, adventure sports destinations, and wildlife that attract a wide range of tourist traffic. Himachal Pradesh is one of the most important tourist destinations in India
Himachal is known as the foot bowl of the country with orchards scattered all over the place.
Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,673 square kilometres. The state is enclosed on the North by Jammu and Kashmir, on the South- East by Uttar Pradesh and on the West by Punjab. Himachal Pradesh is situated in the core of western himalayas. Himachal is situated between 30"22` and 30"12` north latitude and between 75"47` and 79"4` east longitude. It is a highly mountainous state with an elevation ranging from about 350 metres to 6,000 metres. The capital of Himachal Pradesh is Simla.