Know Your State ‘Uttarakhand’ – History, Environment, Education, Economy (Part 2)

In the previous blog, we had discussed about the Culture, Geography, and Political aspects of Uttarakhand. If you haven’t seen the blog yet, click on Know Uttarakhand (Part 1). Now, in this blog, we’ll be diving into other important aspects of Uttarakhand i.e. History, Environment, Economy of Uttarakhand.

Do you guys know in which state The Last Indian Village is situated? Where is the highest Gurudawara of the Sikhs located?

Let’s get started with the topmost topic i.e. Former Times of Uttarakhand.

HISTORY:

Uttarakhand was formerly a part of Uttar Pradesh and was known as UTTARANCHAL. The entire Uttarakhand is covered with vast stretches of thriving green cover, deep lush valleys and all of which are lined by the magnificent and spiritual Himalayas. The History of DEVBHOOMI is very enigmatic, mysterious and filled with gigantic wonder.

Early History:

• The pre-history of Uttarakhand was accelerated to the time when the entire region was colonized by the people belonging to the Kol Tribe. This Kol Tribe was added to the Aryan tribes of Khas afterwards. These Aryan tribes arrived here from the Northern Region during the Vedic period.
•  During that time, this hilly state was a hub for Sadhus and Rishis who found the environment suitable for performing yoga and meditation activities.

Medieval History:

• During the mid-age time just before the British rule, the entire region was integrated and segregated in the form of a Garhwal domain in the Western part and Kumaon domain in the Eastern part.
• From 13^th to 18^th century, the Chand Rajas ruled this place.
• The Anglo-Nepalese War of 1816, a huge part of the Garhwal kingdom was re-established in the form of Tehri and the Kumaon, surrendered to the British as a part of a Treaty of Sugauli.

Uttarakhand After Independence:

• After the end of the British Rule in India the part of Tehri was assimilated back into the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• In 1994, the political parties demanded a separate statehood within the Indian union.
• This demand was granted in the year 2000 which in the end led to the separation of the region of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh.

Now let’s talk about the next aspect of Uttarakhand i.e. Environment.

ENVIRONMENT:

Uttarakhand is blessed with heavenly beauty and the grace of gods. Uttarakhand is the goldmine of the benevolent Himalayas, the holiest of the rivers, stunning landscapes with colourful play of nature, mesmerising flora and fauna. No words can ever be enough to perfectly describe this beautiful place.

• Major Dams in Uttarakhand:

Uttarakhand is a self-reliant state which boasts great power generation techniques. The water from these hydroelectric dams is used to generate power for consumption, irrigation, industrial use etc. Major dams of Uttarakhand are listed below:

1. Nanak Sagar Dam is a major tourist attraction which was named after Nanakmatta, a key Sikh pilgrimage and was built in 1962.
2. Tehri Dam is the highest dam in India. It is the primary dam of the THDC India Ltd. and Tehri hydroelectric complex.
3. National Parks And Wildlife Sanctuaries Of Uttarakhand:

Uttarakhand is renowned for its unique biodiversity. Due to the biodiversity present in the state, 12 % of the total geographical area is a protected area which includes 6 National Park, 7 wildlife sanctuaries and 1 Biosphere Reserve.

• The first wildlife reserve of India, Corbett National Park established in 1936 which is best for hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in Kumaon and lower Garhwal.
• Rajaji National Park is situated along the foothills of the Shivalik ranges and represents the Shivalik eco-system.
• Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve located in the northern part of west Himalayas is a highly diverse area and home to rare and endangered animals like Asiatic black bear, Snow leopard, Brown bear and Blue sheep.
• The Valley of Flowers National Park located in North Chamoli, Uttarakhand is renowned for its endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. 
• Rivers:

Uttarakhand is an abode of glistening rivers that flows from the glaciers at the Himalayan peaks. Uttarakhand is said to be the land of two most holy rivers in India namely Ganga and Yamuna, both have their origin points reckoned to be sacred most in the country.

• Ganga River is considered as the holiest river according to the Hindu Religion. It originates from Gomukh in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.

            Tributaries: Alaknanda and Bhagirathi

• Alaknanda emerges from the confluence of Satopanth and Bhagirath kharak glaciers and merges at the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag. Alaknanda is longner than Bhagirathi.
• Bhagirathi emerges from Gaumukh at the base of the Gangotri glacier trek in Uttarakhand. Bhagirathi is considered as the main source of river Ganga.
• Yamuna River originated from Yamuna glacier. It passes from Uttarakhand, Haryana, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh where it merges with Ganga at Triveni Sangam.

There are other major rivers in Uttarakhand. Names are as follows: Kali, Bhilangna Riverd, Saraswati River, Gaula River, Gori Ganga River, Kosi, Mandakini, Nandakini, Pindari River, Saryu, Tons River.

Let’s jump to the following aspect of Uttarakhand.

ECONOMY:

Uttarakhand is the SECOND fastest growing state of India. The succeeding data will help us to study more about the economy of Uttarakhand-

• Uttarakhand’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) for 2004 was estimated at $6 billions in current prices.
• The contribution of the service sector to the GSDP of Uttarakhand was just over 50% during 2012.
• Just Like other states of India, agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the economy of Uttarakhand. As 86% of the state consists of hills, the yield per hectare is not very high.   
• Uttarakhand economy mainly relies on the tourism industry. Apart from hill stations, wildlife has also been a major attraction for tourism.
• There is prospective development of IT, ITES, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and automobile industries.

GDP per capita rank: 6

GDP per capita: ₹194,293 (2017-18)

GDP growth: 6.9% (2018-19est.)

GDP by sector: Agriculture 10%; Industry 52%; Services 38% (2019-20)

GDP rank: 19^th

GDP: ₹2.93 lakh crore (2020-21est.)

Revenues: ₹42,474 crore (2020-21est.)

Unemployment: 7.6% (2017-18)

EDUCATION:

Education is the most powerful weapon as Uttarakhand is the HUB of famed institutes. Education in Uttarakhand is provided by various public and private institutions. Uttarakhand has a tradition of learning and culture.

• In Uttarakhand, there are 15,331 primary schools. Literacy rate was 79.63%.
• Uttarakhand has a number of government universities, the most well-known of which includes are  as follows:
• The Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology(1960) in Pantnagar
• Kumaun University (1973) with campuses in Nanital and Almora
• The Indian Institute of Technology (1847) in Roorkee
• Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (1973) in Srinagar, etc.

The University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (2003) in Dehradun is one of the notable private institutions.

SPORTS:

The high mountains and rivers attract tourists for adventure sports like paragliding, sky diving, rafting and bungee jumping.

STATE SPORT OF UTTARAKHAND: FOOTBALL

• The Cricket Association of Uttarakhand is the governing body for cricket activities.
• The Uttarakhand State Football Association is the governing body for association football.

Here are some more interesting facts about DEVBHUMI:

• The leopards and man-eater tiger of Uttarakhand are world famous. A leopard of kumaon region killed 125 people and Champawat tiger killed 450 people.
• World’s highest (altitude) road, Mana Pass is in Uttarakhand. Though civilians are not allowed.
• Indian Military Academy where Indian army officer recruits are trained, is in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• Abhinav Bindra: Shooter who had won Olympic gold in the 10m Air Rifle event in 2008 was one of the famous personalities of Uttarakhand.
• The famous “Chipko Movement” known for conservation of forests was started by environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna in the 1990s.
•  MANA Village is situated in Chamoli, Uttarakhand and is the last Indian village from the border of India and China.
• The Hemkund Sahib is the highest Gurudwara (altitude of 4329mts) of Sikhs in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. It is surrounded by 7 peaks. 

Therefore, this was all the needed important knowledge about Uttarakhand that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.

In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of West Bengal. Click here for Know your State – ‘West Bengal’.

THANK YOU