UPKAR PRAKASHAN, AGRA-2

ByDr. C. L. Khanna

© Publishers

Publishers

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ISBN : 978-93-5013-296-8

Code No. 1719

Printed at : UPKAR PRAKASHAN (Printing Unit) Bye-pass, AGRA

Contents

1. Bihar : At a Glance ...................................................................................................... 3–7

2. Bihar : Special and Current Facts ................................................................................ 8–15

3. Physical and Geographical Location ........................................................................... 16–17

4. Bihar : A Historical Background ................................................................................. 18–20

5. Bihar : Drainage .......................................................................................................... 21–23

6. Climate of Bihar .......................................................................................................... 24–24

7. Vegetation of Bihar ..................................................................................................... 25–26

8. Soils of Bihar ............................................................................................................... 27–27

9. Agriculture in Bihar..................................................................................................... 28–32

10. Irrigation and Hydel Projects in Bihar ........................................................................ 33–35

11. Industries in Bihar ....................................................................................................... 36–44

12. Mines and Minerals ..................................................................................................... 45–45

13. Means of Transport in Bihar ....................................................................................... 46–47

14. Means of Communication in Bihar ............................................................................. 48–48

15. Education in Bihar ....................................................................................................... 49–53

16. Health .......................................................................................................................... 54–55

17. Dialects and Languages of Bihar................................................................................. 56–56

18. Important Festivals, Fairs and Occasion of Bihar ....................................................... 57–59

19. Newspapers or Magazines of Bihar............................................................................. 60–61

20. Banking in Bihar ......................................................................................................... 62–62

21. Population in Bihar...................................................................................................... 63–66

22. Folk Music of Bihar .................................................................................................... 67–68

23. Bihar : Historical and Tourist Spots ............................................................................ 69–73

( iv )

24. Administration of Bihar............................................................................................... 74–75

25. Governors/Chief Ministers of Bihar ............................................................................ 76–77

26. Important Personalities of Bihar.................................................................................. 78–85

27. Contribution of Bihar in Freedom Movement............................................................. 86–87

28. Painting, Sculpture and Architecture........................................................................... 88–89

29. Wild Life Sanctuaries and National Parks .................................................................. 90–90

30. Important Prizes and Awards of Bihar ........................................................................ 91–91

31. Important Literary Persons of Bihar and their Writings.............................................. 92–92

32. Sports in Bihar ............................................................................................................. 93–94

33. Districts of Bihar and their Descriptions ..................................................................... 95–97

34. Bihar Timeline (Upto 1947) ........................................................................................ 98–99

35. Various Facts : At a Glance......................................................................................... 100–104

● Multiple Choice Questions .......................................................................................... 105–124

Bihar : General Knowledge

1 Bihar : At a Glance

State day (Bihar Diwas)—22 MarchState symbols :

State Animal—SparrowState Flower—MarigoldState Tree—Peepal

Administration● Capital—Patna● Governor—Shri Kesari Nath Tripathi● Chief Minister—Nitish Kumar● Divisions—9● Districts—38● Sub-Divisions—101● CD Blocks—534● Number of Panchayats at each level

1. Zilla Parishads 382. Panchayat Samitis 5343. Gram Panchayats 8406

Total 8978● Revenue Villages—45,103

● Urban Agglomerations—14

● Towns—199 (Statutory—139, Non-Statutory—60)

● Police Stations—853 (Civil Police Stations—813,Railway Police Stations—40)

● Police Districts—43 (Civil Police District—39,Railway Police District—4)

Geographical Information● Latitude—24°-20′-10" ~ 27°-31′-15" N

● Longitude—83°-19′-50" ~ 88°-17′-40" E

● Total Area—94,163·00 sq. km

● Rural Area—92,257·51 sq. km

● Urban Area—1,095·49 sq. km● Height—173 Feet above Sea-Level

● Normal Rainfall—1,013 mm

● Avg. Number of Rainy Days—52·5 Days in aYear.

● Climate—Sub-tropical humid.● Temperature—Maximum of 43°C in summer to a

minimum of around 5°C in the winters.● Relative Humidity—Up to 100% during summer.● Principal Languages—Hindi, Bhojpuri & Maithili.● Soil of Bihar—Clay Soil, Sandy Soil, Loamy Soil.

● Main Rivers—Ganga, Saryu, Gandak, Bagmati,Koshi, Sone, Punpun, Phalgu.

Connectivity● Bihar is well connected by roads—NH 30 & 31

connects Varanasi, Lucknow, New Delhi andKolkata. National Waterway No. 1 is used for cargotransport between Haldia (West Bengal) and Patna.

● Air services connect Patna with Kolkata, Ranchi,Lucknow, Kanpur, Delhi, Guwahati, Ahmedabad,Allahabad and Kathmandu (Nepal).

● State is well connected by railway network withmajor city of Kolkata, Delhi, Ranchi, Bombay,Varanasi, Jammu, Guwahati etc.

● Length of Roads (September 2013)—NationalHighway : 4200·71 km, State Highway : 4483·19 km, Major District Roads (MDR) : 9449·36 km,Rural Roads (RR) : 162407·15 km, Total Roads :180540·41 km.

● Geographical Boundaries—North—Nepal, South—Jharkhand, East—West Bengal, West—UttarPradesh.

● Length and Breadth—Length—North to South345 km. Breadth—East to West 483 km.

Physical divisions—The North Bihar Plain andSouth Bihar Plain.

State Capital—Patna (It was once Capital of theMighty Magadh Empire.)

Patna was known in ancient times as Pataliputra,Pataligrama, Pushp Pur, Kusumpur and Azimabad etc.

Symbol of the City—Golghar

Important River—The Ganga

Important Bridge—The Mahatma Gandhi Setu(The Longest River Road Bridge, across the RiverGanga which connects North Bihar (Hazipur) and SouthBihar (Patna).

Airport—Jayaprakash Narayan International Air-port, Patna; Gaya International Airport, Gaya.

High Court—Patna High Court

State’s Official Languages—Hindi / Urdu

Divisions—9 (Patna, Magadh, Saran, Tirhut,Darbhanga, Koshi, Purnea, Bhagalpur, and Munger).

Districts—38 (Arwal, Patna, Nalanda, Rohtas,Bhabhua, Bhojpur, Buxar, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada,Siwan, Gopalganj, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Shivahar,

4 | Bihar G. K.

West Champaran, East Champaran, Vaishali,Darbhanga,Madhubani, Samastipur, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura,Purnia, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Banka, Bhagalpur,Munger, Lakhisarai, Aurangabad, Saran, Shekhpura,Jamui, Khagaria and, Begusarai).

Food Habits—Rice, Dal, Chapaties, Vegetables,Non-Vegetarian items; Items of Gram Flour; Litti, andChura-Dahi (Curd) in Mithila.

Common Languages—Hindi, Urdu & LocalDialects (Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili).

Festivals—Chhath (Oct.-Nov.), Jeutia, Teej,Godhan, Buddha Purnima, Shrawani Purnima (KanwarFestival—when Pilgrims collect holy water from theGanga at Sultanganj and offer it to Lord Shiva atDeoghar (Jharkhand), Madhu Shravani of Mithila,Pitripaksha etc.

Art and Craft—Madhubani Paintings, Appliquéwork, Bamboo products, Jute products.

Important Fairs—Harihar Kshetra (Sonepur)Cattle Fair is one of the biggest Cattle fair in Asia.Shrawani Fair of Sultanganj.

Traditional Costumes—Male—Kurta-Dhoti,Kurta-Pajama, Pant-Shirt; Female—Saree, Salwar-Kurta.

Districts having the largest area—Lakhisarai,Gaya, West Champaran and East Champaran.

Industries—Sponge Iron, Oil Refinery, Forging,Fertilisers, Jelly Filled Communication Cables, WatchFactory, Fruit Processing, Bulk Drugs.

Crops—Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Pulses, Sugarcane,Potatoes, Tobacco, Oilseeds, Onion, Chilies, Jute,Mesta.

Bihar G. K. | 5

Census–2011Description 2011 2001

Actual Population 104,099,452 82,998,509Male 54,278,157 43,243,795Female 49,821,295 39,754,714Population Growth 25·42% 28·43%Percentage of total Population 8·60% 8·07%Sex Ratio 918 919Child Sex Ratio 935 908Density/km2 1,106 881Density/mi2 2,863 2,283Area km2 94,163 94,163Area mi2 36,357 36,357Total Child Population(0-6 Age) 19,133,964 16,806,063Male Population (0-6 Age) 9,887,239 8,652,705Female Population (0-6 Age) 9,246,725 8,153,358Literacy 61·80 % 47·00 %Male Literacy 71·20 % 59·68 %Female Literacy 51·5 % 33·12 %Total Literate 52,504,553 31,109,577Male Literate 31,608,023 20,644,376Female Literate 20,896,530 10,465,201

Important Cities Situated at theBanks of Rivers

Ganga—Patna, Buxar, Mokama, Munger,Bhagalpur.

Saryu—Chhapra.Gandak—Hazipur, Sonpur, MuzaffarpurSon—Dahri-on-son.Phalgu—Gaya.

Important Rivers of Bihar and theirSources of Origin

Ganga—from Gangotri Glaciers.Saryu (Ghaghra)—from Nampa (Nepal).

Gandak—Annapurna from Manangmoth andKulong (Middle Himalayas).

Buri-Gandak—from Someshwar ranges.Bagmati—from Mahabharat range of Himalayas in

Nepal.Kamla—from Mahabharat range of Himalaya in

Nepal.Kosi—from Saptkoshi (East Nepal).Son—from Amarkantak ranges in M.P.Punpun—from plateau area of Madhya Pradesh.Karmnasa—from Vidhyanchal ranges.Ajai—from Bat Para place, 5 km south from Chakai

area in Jamuie district.

Birth Place of Important PersonalitiesDr. Rajendra Prasad Zeradai (Siwan)Jai Prakash Narain Sitabadeyara (Chhapra)Veer Kunwar Singh Jagdishpur (Bhojpur)

Vidhyapati Vishffi (Darbhanga)Mandan Mishra Mishi (Saharsa)Sri Krishan Singh MungerGuru Govind Singh PatnaFanishwar Nath Renu Oorahi, Hingana (Araria)Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ Simria (Munger)Shiv Poojan Sahai Onnwas (Bhojpur)

Important Institutes of Bihar

Name of the Institute PlaceYear of

Establish-ment

1. Bihar Rastrabhasha Parishad Patna 19502. Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammalen Patna 19193. Bihar Urdu Academy Patna 19754. Kala-Bhawan Purnia 19555. Ram Kishan Mission % 1897

6. Vaishali Sangh % 1945

7. Bihar Research Society Patna 19508. Mithla Sanskrit Vidyapeeth Darbhanga 19519. Prakrat and Jain Shastra Sodh

SansthanVaishali 1955

10. Arabic and Persian ResearchInstitute

Patna 1955-56

11. Gaya Museum Gaya 195212. Patna Museum Patna 191713. Sri Krishna Vigyan Kendra Patna 198114. Rajendra Smarak Museum Patna 1963

Climate

Bihar experiences main monsoon type of climate.This climate consists of three important seasons.

(1) Summer Season—This is a season in betweenMarch and Mid June. Temperature increases fromMarch to May and maximum temperature remains in themonth of May. During the period of mid June, monsoonwinds start. During the summer season swift wind looblows.

(2) Rainy Season—This season remains in betweenmid June to mid October. In the month of July andAugust Bihar gets maximum rainfall. It gets rainfallfrom Bay of Bengal Monsoon branch.

(3) Winter Season—This season remains from midOctober to February. During this period the minimumtemperature of the state remains in between 7·5° C to10·5° C. Cold westerlies blow during this time. In themonth of December and January the cyclonic rain fallsfrom the cyclones originating from Mediterranean seabranch.

SoilsThere are two important soil zones in Bihar.(1) Soils of North of Ganga area (North Bihar

Plain)(A) Marshy soil (Soils of Tarai area)—Found from

the mountainous ranges in the northern part of WestChamparan to Kishanganj.

6 | Bihar G. K.

(B) New Alluvial Soil—Bhamar area, Purnia,Saharsa, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur.

(C) Bal-Sundari Soil—In Bal-Sundari area ofSaran, Southern part of Purnia, Saharsa, Darbhanga,Southern part of Muzaffarpur, South west part ofChamparan.

(2) Soils of Southern Part of Ganga (South BiharPlain)

(A) Soils of Tal—Coarse grained, heavy soil withgrey colour, found in a belt of 8 to 10 km in the southernpart of Ganga.

(B) Older Alluvial soil (Karrel Kewal Soil)—Found in the southern plain from Bhojpur to Gaya,Patna, Munger, Begusarai and Bhagalpur district. This isa heavy older alluvial soil with brown and yellowcolour.

(C) Bolthar Soil—Found at the confluence of foothills zone and plain area. The soil is red with yellowishin colour.

Minerals Wealth

Tin—GayaBauxite—MungerLithium—GayaChina-clay—Bhagalpur, MungerMica—GayaLime stone—Kaimur ranges situated at Bhojpur.Asbestos—MungerSulphur—Amjor, (Bhojpur), Kassia and Yougma-

koh (Kaimur ranges)Dolomite—Bhojpur

Agriculture

Main Crops—Rice, Wheat, Maize, Pulses, Sugar-cane, Oilseeds, Tobacco, Tea, Jute and Potato.

Rice—Gaya, Munger, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Patna andMuzaffarpur.

Wheat—Gaya, Saran, Champaran, Patna,Muzaffarpur, Munger, Saharsa and Bhojpur.

Sugarcane—Saran, Champaran, Darbhanga,Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur, Saharsa, Purnia and Bhagalpur.

Maize—Saran, South Champaran, South Darbhanga,South Muzaffarpur, South Saharsa, North Munger,Bhagalpur and Patna.

Barely—Saran, Champaran, Darbhanga, Muzaffar-pur, Purnia, Munger, Gaya, Saharsa and Bhagalpur

Ragi—Darbhanga, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Saran andGaya.

Jowar—Bhojpur, Champaran, Munger.Bajara—Patna, Gaya, Munger and Bhojpur.Jute—Purnia, Saharsa, East Darbhanga, North

Muzaffarpur and East Champaran.

Gram—Bhojpur, Gaya, Patna, Munger andBhagalpur.

Irrigation and Electricity

Means of Irrigation—Canals, Wells, Tubewellsand Tanks.

Important Canals—(1) Son Canals—Bhojpur,Gaya and Patna districts, (2) Triveni Canal—Champa-ran district, (3) Dhaka and Taiur Canal—Champarandistricts, (4) Kamla Canal—Saran, Champaran,Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Saharsa and Purnia districts.

Other Canals—(1) Kosi Dam canal, (2) EasternSon canal, (3) Gandak canal.

Hydro electric power Centres—(1) Kosi Hydro-electric Centres, (2) Burmo Dam (Each has one hydroelectric power house)

Thermal power Centres—(1) Barauni ThermalPower Centre, (2) Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Centre.

The electric is also supplied to Bihar by WestBengal.

Industries

Engineering Industry—(1) Britania EngineeringMokama, (2) The Hindustan General Electric Corpora-tion Ltd.-Chhota Amber.

Sugar Industry—28 Sugar mills, Banman-khee,Meerganj, Samastipur, Siwan, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur,Saran, East and West Champaran, Majholia, Bihata,Gopalganj, Bhojpur, Gaya, Patna, Betia, Chhapra,Guraru, Maharajganj, Madhora, Hari Nagar, Warsa-liganj, Loohat, Shiam, Motipur and Barahanpur. (13 millsare in private sectors and 15 are in public sectors)

Cotton Textile Industry—Gaya, Phulwari Sharif,Buxar jail, Dumbrao, Mokama, Ormanjhi, Patna,Muzaffarpur, Munger, Bhagalpur, Kishanganj andMadhubani.

Silk Industry—(1) Tassar-silk—Bhagalpur andGaya.

(2) Irri Silk—Sakra, Pusa, Maharajganj, Rosra andGogari.

(3) Raw Silk—Purnia, Katihar and Manoharpur.

Jute Industry—Katihar, Samastipur, Darbhanga,Saharsa, Purnia and East-West Champaran.

Tobacco Industry—Dilwarpur (Munger), Patna,Gaya, Jhanjha, Lakhi Sarai, Jamuie, Biharsharif,Manpur, Aara, Buxar, Munger, Gaya, Manpur andBhanpur etc.

Rice and Pulses Mills—More than 2000 rice, flourand pulses mills are in Bihar, Raxual, Adapur,Ghodasahan, Narkatraganj, Bhairanganj, Ram-Nagar,Bairgannia, Bair Gannia, Sitamarhi, Jogwani, Farbisganj,Kishanganj, Thakurganj, Aara, Vikramganj, Sasaram,Buxar, Daudpur, Navi-Nagar, Jahanabad, Bihar Sharif,Lakhisarai, Munger, Gaya, Manpur and Bhanpur are thecentres of these mills.

Flour Mills—Gaya, Patna, Bhojpur, Muzaffarpur,Darbhanga, Munger and Bhagalpur.

Bihar G. K. | 7

Oil Mills—Patna, Gaya, Bhojpur, Rohtas andMunger.

Fertilizer Industry—Barauni.Refinary—Barauni.Glass Industry—Patna.Liquor Industry—Manpur, Munger, Meerganj,

Panch-rukhi, Marodha and Patna.Leather Industry—Deegha, Mokama (Bata Co.)

and Gaya.Other Industries—Plastic, Soap, Petro-chemical,

Coal, Chemical industries are the other industries,Bansjora, Munger, Lakhisarai and Katihar.

Other Industries

Plastic Industry—Hazipur and Purnia.Wooden Industry—Patna, Bhagalpur, Narkatia-

ganj, Jogwani, Bair-Gania, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur,Samastipur, Katihar.

Paper and Pulp Industry—Samastipur, Barauniand Patna.

Lac Industry—Gaya and Purnia.

Cottage Industry—Handloom textile industry, Biriand Soap industry, Box manufacturing, Lock manu-facturing, Button, small goods of leather, Knife andscissors, knitting of Bucket and mat. Utensilsmanufacturing, Plastic nylone, Stainless steel etc.

Handloom Textile Industry—Gaya, Patna,Madhubani, Manpur, Bihar Sharif, Bhagalpur, Daud-nagar, Obra, Mau etc.

New Industrial Institute of Bihar State IndustrialDevelopment Corporation—(1) Sponge Iron Industry,Chandi, (2) G.I. Sheets, Jamaui, (3) Nylon Industry,Bhojpur, (4) Transmission Tower, Jasdeeh, (5) Biharfashners, Gaya.

Persons-Awarded Bharat Ratna

● Dr. Rajendra Prasad 1962

● Dr. Zakir Hussain 1963

● Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad 1992

● J. R. D. Tata 1992

● Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain 1999

● Bismillah Khan 2001

2 Bihar : Special and Current Facts

Bihar Economy : An Overview➢ The GSDP of Bihar at 2004-05 prices in 2015-16

was 1·90 lakh crore, yielding a per capita income of 18,560. The estimated GSDP of current prices in

2014-15 is 4·02 lakh crore, implying a per capitaincome of 39,341.

➢ In 2012-13, the per capita income of Bihar was 37.0per cent of all-India average, but in 2014-15, thisratio has increased to 40.6 per cent.

➢ During the last decade (2005-06 to 2014-15), thestate income at constant prices grew annually at10·52 percent. In the immediate past (2010-11 to2014-15) the growth rate of GSDP wasslightlylower at 9·89 percent. During the last twoyears, the growth rates have been 9·1 percent (2013-14) and 9·4 percent (2014-15).

➢ During the period 2005-06 to 2014-15, the sectorswhich recorded more than 15 percent growth rateare—Registered Manufacturing (19·31 percent),

Annual Growth Rate of GSDPS.N. Sector 2013 2014-15 2010-11 to

2014-152005-06 to

2014-15

CurrentPrices

Cons-tant

Prices

CurrentPrices

Cons-tant

Prices

CurrentPrices

Cons-tant

Prices

CurrentPrices

Cons-tant

Prices

1. Agriculture/Animal Husbandry 1·6 – 7·2 11·7 4·6 13·8 3·75 16·8 6·02

2. Forestry/Logging 5·8 – 1·9 5·6 – 1·8 6·0 – 1·88 5·0 – 1·95

3. Fishing 30·8 8·0 30·8 8·0 29·3 12·61 21·0 6·45

4. Mining/Quarrying 11·7 11·7 0·0 0·0 2·9 1·95 5·0 5·77

Sub-Total (Primary) 3·3 – 6·1 12·6 4·4 14·2 3·74 16·1 5·335. Manufacturing 8·5 3·6 8·3 5·4 6·3 0·74 13·9 7·00

5·1 Registered 6·6 0·8 5·9 5·7 2·9 – 2·83 28·2 19·31

5·2 Un-registered 9·7 5·2 9·7 5·2 8·6 2·95 9·5 3·38

6. Construction 24·5 15·1 19·5 10·5 16·9 8·05 25·7 16·58

7. Electricity/Water Supply/Gas 18·3 9·7 15·2 7·5 22·8 8·22 15·9 7·97

Sub-Total (Secondary) 20·3 11·9 16·8 9·1 14·6 6·20 21·6 13·078. Transport/Starage/Communication 20·0 11·9 21·2 12·8 19·6 12·72 16·5 15·08

8·1 Railways 13·2 0·8 13·2 0·8 10·7 0·41 9·6 3·91

8·2 Other Transport 24·4 14·1 25·9 16·2 25·5 15·49 22·1 12·71

8·3 Storage 17·7 9·0 17·7 9·0 18·8 9·58 19·5 9·38

8·4 Communication 14·4 14·4 14·4 14·4 13·2 15·74 11·4 25·38

9. Trade/Hotel/Restaurant 20·3 11·4 20·3 11·5 23·7 14·10 23·6 13·13

10. Banking/Insurance 23·0 20·5 23·0 20·5 22·5 19·60 20·7 17·70

11. Real Estate/Ownership of Dwelling 18·3 10·9 18·8 11·2 18·6 10·65 20·4 9·69

12. Public Administration 29·7 20·1 9·6 1·6 16·9 8·14 17·7 8·28

13. Other Services 28·4 18·1 18·4 9·1 23·5 13·70 18·5 8·70

Sub-Total (Tertiary) 22·7 14·3 18·9 11·2 22·0 13·46 20·6 12·00

Total GSDP 17·0 9·1 17·1 9·4 18·6 9·89 19·5 10·52

Per Capita GSDP 15·6 7·8 15·7 8·1 17·1 8·50 17·9 8·99

Source : Directorate of Economics and Statistics, GOB

Bihar G. K. | 9

Construction (16·58 percent), Banking andInsurance (17·70 percent), and Transport/Storage/Communication (15·08 percent). For Communi-cation, the growth rate was 25·38 percent. One canthus conclude the Communication and RegisteredManufacturing have emerged as leading contribu-tors to the growth process. It is also heartening tonote that the rate of growth of Agriculture andAnimal Husbandry sector has been 6·02 percentduring 2005-06 to 2014-15. This is of specialsignificance, as nearly 90 percent of state’spopulation live in rural areas and primarily dependon this sector for livelihood.

➢ The agriculture and Animal Husbandry sector,which grew at 19·91 percent in 2010-11, recorded agrowth rate of 8·64 percent in 2012-13, (–) 7·33percent in 2013-14, and 4·64 percent in 2014-15.This is because of variation in rainfall patternswhich that causefluctuation in agriculturalproduction which accounts for about 20 percent ofGSDP.

➢ According to the latest estimates for per capitaGDDP (Gross District Domestic Product) relating to2011-12, Patna ( 63,063), Munger ( 22,051) andBegusarai ( 17,587) are the most flourishingdistricts of Bihar. At the other end, the mostbackward districts are Madhepura ( 8609), Supaul( 8492) and Sheohar ( 7092).

➢ In November 2015, the CPI for agricultural workersstood at 746 (Bihar) and 853 (India); for ruralworkers, the figures were 752 (Bihar) and 857(India); finally for industrial workers, the figureswere 282 (Bihar) and 270 (India).

Agriculture and Allied Sectors➢ The average annual rainfall in Bihar is 1013 mm.

However, there is wide variation across the districtsin terms of annual rainfall. During the period 2001to 2013, the annual rainfall has varied from being1506 mm. in 2007 (147.8 per cent of normal) to 678mm. in 2010 (66.9 per cent of normal). In 2013, therainfall in 18 out of 38 districts exceeded theaverage rainfall.

➢ The net sown area was 57.0 per cent of totalgeographical area in 2009-10 and it increasedmarginally to 57.7 per cent in 2012-13. Similarly,cropping intensity has also marginally increasedfrom 1.37 in 2009-10 to 1.44 in 2012-13. The netsown area accounts for a higher share of totalgeographical area in agriculturally prosperousdistricts — Bhojpur (77.8 per cent), Buxar (82.7 percent), Siwan (76.2 per cent), Madhepura (72.6 percent), and Gopalganj (72.6 per cent).

➢ Agricultural economy of Bihar is very much tiltedin favour of the subsistence sector, since the acreageunder foodgrains, even after a decrease in recentyears, is more than 90 per cent; the share of cerealsis around of 85 per cent. Because of the use of new

‘SRI’ technique and newer agricultural implements,there was enormous rise in rice production.Similarly, the production levels of wheat and maizehave also recorded a positive trend. Bihar presentlyproduces — rice (82.41 lakh tonnes), wheat (35.70lakh tonnes), pulses (4.28 lakh tonnes), oilseeds(1.27 lakh tonnes) and sugarcane (128.8 lakhtonnes). The total cereals production is estimated at143.42 lakh tonnes, for a population of about 109million in 2014-15.

➢ In 2014-15, the total vegetable production in Biharstood at 144.99 lakh tonnes, whereas in 2012-13, itwas 148.99 lakh tonnes. Out of the total production,potato accounted for 63.46 lakh tonnes, onion 12.47lakh tonnes, tomato 10.46 lakh tonnes, cauliflower10.04 lakh tonnes, brinjal 11.42 lakh tonnes andother remaining items 5.86 lakh tonnes. Bihar isknown all over India for its litchi and mango. Thefour most important fruit crops in Bihar are —mango, guava, litchi and banana. In 2014-15, theirproduction levels were — mango (12.74 lakhtonnes), guava (3.70 lakh tonnes), litchi (1.98 lakhtonnes) and banana (15.27 lakh tonnes). Flowerproduction in Bihar has increased recently,providing immense opportunity of employment andincome in rural areas of Bihar. In 2013-14, about 99tonnes of rose, 6799 tonnes of marigold, 317 tonnesof jasmine (Bela) and 536 tonnes of the tuberosewere produced in Bihar.

➢ Under the Agriculture Road Map, the production ofcertified seeds of the recently evolved crop varietieshas been emphasised. As many as 23 crops wereidentified and promotion programmes for theirseeds have been initiated by the state government.There has also been the revival of hitherto dormantBihar Rajya Beej Nigam (BRBN), strengthening ofBihar Seeds Certification Agency, and multiplicationof foundation and breeder seeds by state farms.Recently, the scheme of 'Mukhyamantri Tibra BeejVistar Yojana' has helped farmers in the field ofpaddy cultivation. The Seed Replacement Rate(SRR) for major crops like paddy, wheat and maizehas increased substantially in recent years. Morespecifically, the SRR for self-pollinated crops havereached the scientific level of 33 per cent.

➢ In 2012-13, the total consumption of fertilizers inBihar was 46.42 lakh tonnes, which rose to 41.16lakh tonnes in 2014-15, registering an decrease of11.3 per cent in three years. In 2014-15, however, ithas come down to 5.26 lakh tonnes. This decrease isnot really worrisome, as the farmers are now keenerto replace chemical fertilizers with the bio-fertilizers.

➢ The focus is on zero tillage machines which is moresuitable for small and marginal farmers. Because ofeasy availability of subsidy, some equipmentswhich were earlier rare in rural areas have nowbecome common. In 2009-10, 4635 power tillers

10 | Bihar G. K.

were distributed which has gone up to 6445 in2012-13.

➢ Promotion of organic farming has been made a partof the Agricultural Road Map of Bihar to retainthe inherent fertility of soil. In 2013-14, a total of 149.79 crore has been spent on promoting organic

farming. Integrated pest control programme has alsobeen undertaken for controlling insect, pest anddiseases from the stage of seed sowing to standingcrops.

➢ The share of three different sources of agriculturalcredit in 2014-15 stood at Commercial Banks(61.30 per cent), RRBs (37.65 per cent) and CCB(1.05 per cent). In other words, Commercial Banksare the major supplier of agricultural credit in Bihar.

➢ Animal husbandry is a key sector which contributesabout one-fifth of the total rural income, andprovides large scale employment to women,belonging to the marginalised sections of society.Milk is the most important produce of this sector.The production of milk has increased from 65.17lakh tonnes in 2010-11 to 77.75 lakh tonnes in2014-15. However, during the same period, theproduction of eggs increased from 74.46 crore to9845 crore. The coverage of artificial inseminationstood at 292 lakh animals in 2014-15.

➢ The water area of Bihar constitutes about 3.9 percent of the total geographical area. In 2004-05, theproduction of fish in Bihar was 2.67 lakh tonnes.The production grew continuously thereafter andreached the peak level of 4.79 lakh tonnes in 2014-15. In the same year, 4812.85 lakh fish seeds wereproduced in the state.

Enterprises Sector➢ In 2014-15, the industrial sector in Bihar has grown

by 9·10%. Which marginally lower than the growthrate of GSDF at 9·45%. The slower growth theindustrial sector in 2014-15 is due to the slowergrowth of manufacturing sector which is grew at alittle over 5%.

➢ In 2005-06, the share of Bihar in agro-basedindustries in India was 0.76 per cent, whichincreased to 1.36 in 2011-12. In case of non-agro-based industries, there was also a modest increase inthe share of Bihar from 1.32 per cent in 2005-06 to1.85 per cent in 2011-12. The Gross Value Added(GVA) as a percentage of Gross Value of Output(GVO) registered a decline at all-India level andmost states during 2005-06 to 2011-12; however, inBihar, it increased from 4.0 percent in 2005-06 to10.3 per cent in 2011-12. Despite two-and-a-half-times increase in the GVA over a six-year period,GVA as a percentage of GVO continues to be thelowest in Bihar.

➢ In Bihar, up to 2006-07, there were in all 1.63 lakhregistered MSMEs. However, compared to theregistration of 7202 units in 2007-08, only 3133

units could be registered in 2013-14, and the totalnumber of units under this sector increased to 1.99lakh by the end of 2014-15. This implied anincrease of only 21.4 per cent over a period of sevenyears. The total investment of newly registeredunits, however, recorded a growth rate of 20.3 percent.

➢ Out of 28 old sugar mills in the state, only 9 areworking, all in the private sector. There are 2 newsugar mills under Bihar State Sugar Corporation,which were handed out to HPCL in 2011 on lease.During the crushing season of 2014-15, a total of574.45 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was crushed in theworking sugar mills. The mills were, on an average,functional for 127 days during the year. With arecovery rate of 8.6 per cent, a total of 52.67 lakhtonnes of sugar was produced.

➢ The quantity of daily milk collection by COMFEDhas increased constantly. Compared to 4.79 lakh kgsin 2007-08, it increased nearly three times to 14.94lakh kgs in 2013-14. The total daily collection in2014-15 (up to September 2014) was higher byabout 3 per cent compared to the collection in 2013-14. As regards the daily milk procurement perfunctional dairy cooperative society, it has increasedto around 142 kl in 2014-15 (up to september) from119 kl in 2010-11. Among the milk unions, theaverage daily milk collection was the highest inDesratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad milk union Barauni(409 kl) and the least in Ranchi/Bokaro/Jamshed-pur dairy (14·10 kl) in 2014-15.

➢ There are 1089 primary handloom weavers’societies in the state, with nearly 34 thousandhandlooms operating under them. There are twoapex-level marketing organisations, viz., Bihar StateHandloom Cooperative Union and Bihar State Wooland Sheep Union, both at Patna. There are 14,000power looms in the state, concentrated mainly inBhagalpur, Gaya and Banka districts. There is atraining centre at Nathnagar (Bhagalpur), run by theMinistry of Textiles, Government of India, where120 powerloom weavers are trained each year.

➢ The Tourism Department of the state governmenthas identified 7 tourism circuits in the state. Bothdomestic and foreign tourists in Bihar haveincreased continuously in recent years, except for amarginal fall in 2013.

Infrastructure and Communications➢ The total road length in Bihar was 2.26 lakh kms, as

on September 2014, registering an increase of 45.75thousand kms over the last year. The length ofNational Highway (NH) in the state increasedsubstantially from 3410 (2001) to 4595 kms (2015).The length of state high days has also uncreasedfrom 2283 km (2001) to 4253 km (2015). During2001 to 2015, Major Distric Roads (MDR) has alsoincreased from 7713 kms to 10,634 kms.

Bihar G. K. | 11

➢ The National Highways have strategic significancein state's economic development as they connectBihar with other states. Up to September 2015, thetotal length of NH in the state was 4595 kms. Theshare under different categories in NH remainednearly the same in 2013 and 2014, with single laneand intermediate lane roads accounting for about 35per cent of the total length of NH.

➢ The total length of the State Highways (SH) inBihar up to September 2015 was 4253 kms. Around64 per cent of SH were double-lane roads, 20 percent single-lane roads, and 15 per cent intermediate-lane roads. Multiple-lane roads with more than 7meter width constituted only 1 per cent of the SH.

➢ The total length of Major District Roads (MDR) inthe state as on September 2015 was 10634 kms.,with a major portion (51 per cent) having a width of3.05 to 3.50 meters. The state government is makingendeavours to upgrade 5175 kms. of MDR to aminimum standard of intermediate lane with 5.50meters width. Further, the roads which are not beingupgraded into intermediate lane are being eitherrenewed or repaired.

➢ The total rural road length was 1.62 lakh kms inSeptember 2013 which increased to 2.07 lakh kmsin September 2014, registering an increase ofaround 28 per cent. A substantial portion of the ruralroads is still unpaved and they are being graduallyupgraded to pucca roads, under different schemes.Up to September 2014, a total of around 45thousand kms. of rural roads could be upgraded, ofwhich 33 per cent was under Mukhya Mantri GramSampark Yojana and remaining 67 per cent underthe Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. During2014-15, a total of 50,596 kms of rural roads wereconstructed with an expenditure of 26,233 crore.

➢ Under the tripartite agreement made in 2005, theconstruction of road overbridges on 22 railwaycrossings in the state was taken up on cost-sharingbasis. The work on 14 of these road overbridges wasundertaken, out of which 10 are completed andremaining 4 are under progress. Besides, 8 roadoverbridges on Major District Roads and approachroad to these roads have been completed and thework for 11 new road overbridges on railwaycrossings are also under progress.

➢ The number of vehicles registered increased to 6.14lakh in 2014-15, compared to 2.20 lakh in 2008-09.During the first six months of 2015-16 (April-September), around 2·87 lakh new vehicles havebeen registered. During the same period, out of allthe categories of vehicles, the number of trucks andtaxis recorded over three-fold increase, and theincrease was even higher at four-fold for auto-rickshaws.

➢ Bihar registered a tremendous growth in the telecomsector during the recent past. In 2014-115, the totalnumber of telephone connections increased by about

10 per cent to 661.69 lakh over the previous year,with the private operators increasing their share toaround 96 per cent. Out of the total telephoneconnections under BSNL in the state, mobileconstituted 87 per cent, landline 8 per cent andWLL connections around 5 per cent. However, forthe private operators, almost 100 per cent of theconnections were mobile phones.

➢ In Bihar Circle, there were 9064 post offices as onMarch 2014. Around 90 per cent Branch PostOffices, which are all functional in rural areas, arerun by the Grameen Dak Sewak (GDS) and theremaining 10 per cent are run by the departmentalstaff. There are 6 night post offices also.

➢ There are 11 urban corporations, 42 municipalboards and 88 urban panchayats under theadministrative control of the Department of UrbanDevelopment and Housing. The efforts are on todevelop them as per the national standard. A slumsurvey was done in 28 important towns in the statewith the help of DFID-SPUR and a sum of 401.74 crore was approved for the development of

basic infrastructure in 1402 selected urban slums.➢ The ultimate irrigation potential in the state is

estimated to be around 117.54 lakh hectares,including major, medium and minor irrigationschemes, utilising both surface and ground water.While major and medium irrigation schemes havean ultimate potential of 53.53 lakh hectares, theminor irrigation has a potential of 64.01 lakhhectares. If this potential is exploited fully, it cancover the entire cultivated area in the state.

➢ The per capita power consumption in the state isonly 203 kwh, much lower than the all-Indiaaverage of 927 kwh. The acuteness of the powerproblem in Bihar can be understood better in thecontext of demand. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, thedeficit was brought down, but it is still as high as 22per cent and 19 per cent respectively. The installedpower capacity in the state was 3704·63 mw inMarch 2015.

Social Sectors➢ The Manav Vikas Mission (MVM) for 2013-17 is

an innovative plan of the state government toidentify crucial gaps, set the priorities and select afew key monitorable indicators that will help intracking progress in human development.

➢ Three demographic features of Bihar which aresubstantially different from that of other states are—decadal growth rate of population, density ofpopulation, and level of urbanisation. The decadalgrowth rate of population for Bihar (25.1 per cent)is much higher than that for India (17.6 per cent),indicating the absence of the demographictransition. With a density of population of 1106persons per sq. km, the highest among the majorstates, the population pressure is a major challenge

Bihar General Knowledge

Publisher : Upkar Prakashan ISBN : 9789350132968 Author : Dr C L Khanna

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