HIMACHAL PRADESH

KNOW YOUR STATE

Location of Map of India

Image Source: Wikipedia

Basic Facts about Himachal Pradesh

● Status of State: 25 January 1971

● Capitals: Shimla, Dharamshala (Second Capital in Winter)

● Number of District : 12

● Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur

● Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya

● High court: Shimla

● Chief Justice: Lingappa Narayana Swamy

● Members of the Legislative Assembly: 68

● Lok Sabha Seats : 4

● Rajya Sabha Seats : 3

Boundaries

● It is bordered by union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab

on the west, Haryana on the southwest, Uttarakhand on the southeast, and

Tibet on the east. At its southernmost point, it also touches the state of Uttar

Pradesh.

Image Source: Wikivoyage

State Symbols

● State Animal: Snow leopard

● State Bird: Western Tragopan

● State Flower: Pink Rhododendron

National Parks

There are 5 national parks in Himachal Pradesh

● Great Himalayan National Park (Kullu)

● Inderkilla National Park (Kullu)

● Khirganga National Park (Kullu)

● Pin Valley National Park (Lahaul and Spiti )

● Simbalbara National Park (Sirmour)

History of Himachal Pradesh

● After independence, the Chief Commissioner's Province of Himachal Pradesh

was organized on 15 April 1948 as a result of the integration of 28 petty

princely states (including feudal princes and zaildars).

● Himachal became a Part 'C' state on 26 January 1950 with the

implementation of the Constitution of India and the Lieutenant Governor was

appointed. The Legislative Assembly was elected in 1952. Himachal Pradesh

became a union territory on 1 November 1956.

● Himachal became the 18th state of the Indian Union with

Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar as its first chief minister.

Geography

● Most of the state lies on the foothills of the Dhauladhar Range. At 6,816 m,

Reo Purgyil is the highest mountain peak in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

● The drainage systems of the region are the Chandra Bhaga or the Chenab,

the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej, and the Yamuna.

● According to 2003 Forest Survey of India report, legally defined forest areas

constitute 66.52% of the area of Himachal Pradesh.

● Himachal is also said to be the fruit bowl of the country.

In the assembly elections held in November 2017, the BJP secured an absolute

majority, winning 44 of the 68 seats while the Congress won only 21 of the 68

seats. Jai Ram Thakur was sworn in as Himachal Pradesh's Chief Minister.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Major Dams and Reservoirs

● Bhakra Dam : Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in

Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind

Sagar reservoir.

● Pong Dam: The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill

embankment dam on the Beas River. The lake created by the dam,

Maharana Pratap Sagar, became a renowned bird sanctuary.

General Facts

● According to a survey of CMS – India Corruption Study 2017, Himachal

Pradesh is India's least corrupt state.

● Tribes such as the Koli, Hali, Dagi, Dhaugri, Dasa, Khasa, Kanaura, and

Kirat inhabited the region from the prehistoric era.

● About 90% of the population in Himachal depends directly upon agriculture,

which provides direct employment to 62% of total workers of state.

● Apple is the principal cash crop of the state grown principally in the districts

of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba.

● Himachal has three domestic airports in Kangra, Kullu and

Shimla districts.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Great Himalayan National Park: 2014

Kalka-Shimla Railway, Himachal Pradesh: 2008

Shimla Agreement

● The Simla Agreement, was signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July

1972 in Shimla, the capital city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

● It followed from the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971 that led to the

independence of Bangladesh, which was earlier known as East Pakistan and

was part of the territory of Pakistan.