In early summer, brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor'westers, often occur. In contrast, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. Although Hindus are the predominant community, the state has a large minority Muslim population. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a warning regarding the Amphan Cyclone and said that it is likely to move towards West Bengal as an extremely severe cyclonic storm tomorrow. 142. [205], Eid al-Fitr is the most important Muslim festival in West Bengal. 138. The Farakka barrage over the Ganges feeds the Hooghly branch of the river by a feeder canal. Kolkata Metro, India's first metro rail system, As of 2011, the total length of surface roads in West Bengal was over 92,023 kilometres (57,180 miles);[117]:18 national highways comprise 2,578 km (1,602 mi)[130] and state highways 2,393 km (1,487 mi). According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, West Bengal is the fourth-most-populous state in India with a population of 91,347,736 (7.55% of India's population). [148] India's sole Chinatown is in eastern Kolkata. Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri is a customs airport that offers international service to Bhutan and Thailand, besides regular domestic service. Singlila National park located in which of the districts of West Bengal ? The Government of West Bengal introduced democratic elections to the local bodies in, (c) These are easily accessible from Kolkata, (d) There are no big hotels at these places, 45. We are building 20 metre long vedic chandeliers.". Christians, Buddhists and others form a minuscule part of the population. The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), governed the state for the next three decades. During the Bengal Sultanate, Bengal was a major trading nation in the world, and was often referred by the Europeans as the "richest country to trade with". Area, production and productivity of rice under different productivity groups in West Bengal during triennium ending 2000-2001 are given in Table-25. [187][188][189], There are significant examples of fine arts in Bengal from earlier times, including the terracotta art of Hindu temples and the Kalighat paintings. Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average minimum temperatures of 15 °C (59 °F). [13][14] There is moderate unemployment. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised in the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, whose works marked a departure from the traditional verse-oriented writings prevalent in that period;[169] Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a pioneer in Bengali drama who introduced the use of blank verse;[170] and Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music. [97] Recognising its special conservation value, the Sundarbans area has been declared a Biosphere Reserve. West Bengal ranks first in area and production in the country. Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. 110. universal among the 6 to 14-year age group then drops to 70% with the 15 to 17-year age group. [210], Some of the notable schools in the city are: Ramakrishna Mission Narendrapur, Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission, Sister Nivedita Girls' School, Hindu School, Hare School, La Martiniere Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), South Point School, St. Xavier's Collegiate School, and Loreto House, Loreto Convent, Asansol some of which rank amongst the best schools in the country. Prajna Bhavan, housing the School of Mathematical Sciences and School of RKMVU. [117]:20 Kolkata is the headquarters of three zones of the Indian Railways—Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway and the Kolkata Metro, which is the newly formed 17th zone of the Indian Railways. [79] The narrow Terai region separates the hills from the North Bengal plains, which in turn transitions into the Ganges delta towards the south. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. [220], Jadavpur University (Focus area—Mobile Computing and Communication and Nano-science), and the University of Calcutta (Modern Biology) are among two of the fifteen universities selected under the "University with Potential for Excellence" scheme. [20][21], In 2011 the Government of West Bengal proposed a change in the official name of the state to PaschimBanga (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Pôshchimbônggô). Kolkata – Mumbai National Highway via Agra is known as, 96. [212], West Bengal has eighteen universities. Which of the following types of climate on West Bengal experiences ? Every district has weaving clusters, which are home to artisan communities, each specialising in specific varieties of handloom weaving. [114] Per-capita NSDP growth rate at current prices varied from 9.4% in 2010–2011 to a high of 16.15% in 2013–2014. In West Bengal foot hill region of the Himalayas is known as, 40. 65. [206], Poush Mela is a popular winter festival of Shantiniketan, with performances of folk music, Baul songs, dance, and theatre taking place throughout the town. 54. Which of the following district was not in West Bengal at the time of Independence of India ? West Bengal ranks first in area and production in the country. Area under high yielding varieties is nearly 85%. This indicates the importance of public provision of health services to mitigate against poverty and the impact of illness on poor households. [106], The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata—the third-largest urban agglomeration[107] and the seventh-largest city[108] in India. It was absorbed into the Mughal Empire in 1576. [151] Muslims, the second-largest community as well as the largest minority group, comprise 27.01% of the total population,[152] Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and other religions make up the remainder. COVID-19: Union Health Secretary talks with counterparts of 5 States, UT exhibiting high surge, caseload and fatality, West Bengal: 19 NDRF teams on ground ahead of cyclone Amphan landfall, Cyclone Amphan: Around 3 lakh people have been evacuated, kept in relief camps till now, says Mamata, Mamata forms task force, evacuates 3L people from coastal belts, Amphan Cyclone to move towards West Bengal as extremely severe cyclonic storm: IMD, 29 new COVID-19 cases reported in West Bengal, total active cases rise to 274, NDA achieved numbers in Bihar polls but the real winner is Tejashwi Yadav: Shiv Sena, Stalin may not contest polls for 6 yrs if SC decision goes against him: TN CM, Brazil allows resumption of Chinese coronavirus vaccine trial, Team from Odisha selected for NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021, Equity indices open in the red, Sensex down by 165 points, Statutory provisions on reporting ( sexual offences ). [123] The tourism industry of West Bengal was negatively impacted in 2017 because of the Gorkhaland agitation. Spread over 34,267 sq mi (88,750 km 2), it is bordered by the countries of Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. Each district is divided into subdivisions, except the Kolkata district, which contains urban area only, administered by Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Smallest is Kolkata and biggest south 24 Parganas (area). West Bengal is an State of India with population of Approximate … Several independent Hindu states were established in Bengal during the Mughal period, including those of Pratapaditya of Jessore District and Raja Sitaram Ray of Bardhaman. Multi system operators provide a mix of Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English and international channels via cable. We also procured marble from India. The growth rate was 13.35% in 2014–2015. [3] West Bengal also has the 28th-highest ranking among Indian states in human development index, with the index value being less than that of India. Out of which 4 districts are under high productivity group, 9 districts are under medium productivity group, 3 districts are under medium-low productivity group and 2 districts are under low productivity group. [120] The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–1981, declining to 5% by 1997–1998.