Uttar Pradesh means the Northern State. The history of Uttar Pradesh goes back to 1st April 1937, when it was formed as the North Western Provinces of Agra and Awadh, but it has been found through archeological excavations that human beings inhabited this State between 85000 and 73000 years ago. Civilized people lived in this State as early as 6000 B.C.
Nevertheless, the early modern period of the State commenced in 1526, when Babur invaded the Delhi Sultanate and established the Moghul Empire, covering large parts of modern Uttar Pradesh. The relics of the Moghul Empire, in Uttar Pradesh, include the famous Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Allahabad Fort and the Agra Fort, to name a few.
Uttar Pradesh was also a scene for the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, with conflicts at Meerut, Kanpur and Lucknow. The State was also a site for the Indian Independence Movement with the Indian National Congress. After independence, in 1947, the United Provinces were reorganized as Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Uttar Pradesh is often called Uttam Pradesh or the best State. It is also known as a State with unlimited potential. The State has provided seven Prime Ministers for India, and is the source of the largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha, or Lower House of Parliament. In 2000, northern districts of the State were separated to form another State, Uttarakhand.
Physical features
Uttar Pradesh is India's fourth largest State. It is located in the North Central part of India. It spreads over a large area of 243290 Kilometers. and its plains are notably different from the mountains of Uttarakhand.
It can be classified into "three distinct regions
For purposes of development planning, however, UP is divided into four economic regions I.e. Western, Central Eastern and Bundelkhand. The first three of these are largely located within the Gangetic Plains, while the fourth, Bundelkhand.
forms part of the dry rocky Southern Plateau." (T.N.Dhar and K.N. Trivedi)
Climate and Rainfall
Generally, the climate of UP is warm with more moisture in the Terai areas, but the winter months get cold and foggy. The Southern Plateau however, remains hot and arid. The temperature during summer(May and June) can go up to 47 degrees Centigrate and even more, "and with unexpectedly adverse impact of climate change,, in the coming years, both summer and average temperatures can go up even further" (Dhar and Trivedi, 2015). In the winter months, (December and January) both day and night temperatures can fall sharply and these can range low between 2degrees Centigrate to 6 degrees. Annual precipitation averages between 800mm to 1200mm., depending on the geographical location of an area and the annual characteristics and preoccupation loads of the monsoon.
Rivers
The main rivers of the State are Ganga and Yamuna. Both these rivers have tributaries like Ramganga, Gomti, Ghagra. Tons, Rapti, Gandak, Betwa, Chambal, Sone and Kane. The two rivers and their tributaries originate from the Himalayas. They are snow fed and therfore are perennial. Those originating from the Vindhyachal have lower flows and almost dry up in the winters.
Flora
The soil of Uttar Pradesh is predominantly silt brought by Ganga from the Himalayas. It is a rich fertile soil and so any vegetation, from the mountain tops to the temperate areas of the south of India, could be grown in Uttar Pradesh. Recorded total geographical area of the State and total forest and tree area is 9.01% of the total geographical area. The terai area of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The existing flora in Uttar Pradesh can be classified into three categories-:
Demography
"Uttar Pradesh is population wise the largest State in India. According to census of 2011, the population as of 1.3.2011, has reached 19.98 crores which, at 16.49% constituted nearly one sixth of the country's population. By 2015-16 the demographic load would estimately have increased to over 21 crore. One sixth of Indians live in only one thirteenth of the country's geographical area. Of U.P's population in 2010-11, 10.46 crores were males and 9.50 crores were females. The decadal growth of population (2001-11) was 20.09 % which was lower by 5.76% compared to growth in the preceeding decade (1991-2001) but higher than the national average. The density of the population was very high at 828/sq. Km. (and the sex ratio 908) in 2011. The male population exceeds female population by 4.82%. However, gender disparity among children has come down in the last decade (2001-2011) by 11 points. But it still persists. The literacy rate has gone up to over 70% which is higher than the national average of 64.8%.The crude birth rate in 2013 was still high at around 20.8 and the death rate had fallen to 7.7 by 2013-14. In terms of many of the Millennium Development Goals of UN (base year was 1990 and final year was 2015) UP has many gaps to fill. Over 30% of the people in the State are still poor. Gender equity remains to be achieved. Infant mortality at 53 is still higher than the national average of 42. Even now, many births are not institutional or attended by skilled health personnel. The number of institutional deliveries in 2012-13 was only about 2.5 million. About 48% of children were vaccinated as per AHS 2012. By 2015-16, this percentage has definitely increased to around 60%. Since the children in the age group of 0-6 years is around 30 million, UP is moving toward an age structure transition which typically has two phases. In the first phase there will be a bulge in the working age groups which is the demographic dividend stage. The second phase occurs with the ageing of population when the proportion of the elderly would go up. UP's demographic growth rate is about 16% a year which is still high. It presents a considerable threat to sustainable development. Achieving of the demographic goals and population stabilization requires to be accorded high priority in policy and planning terms in the State. UP is a still low urbanized State. Only about 23% of its population lives in the cities, towns and urban agglomerations. But the urban population birth rate is high. Demographic pressure on cities and towns is increasing fast posing many challenges in areas like land availability, social and physical infrastructure needs (e.g. housing, educational health facilities, power, roads, transportation commercial area development etc.). Administratively, the State is organized into 18 Commission ships, 75 Districts, 327 Sub Divisions (Tehsils), and 821 Development Blocks. UP has 915 Urban Agglomerations and 51914 Gram Panchayats covering 97814 inhabited villages.
Economic growth
Growth and equity have been the declared goals of development planning in India and in Uttar Pradesh too. To these objectives could be added the important needs of sustainability…… UP has increased its pace in economic growth in recent years but not in the required measure. During the tenth Five Year Plan (2002=2007) annual growth was 5.3 and in the Eleventh Plan Period (2007-2012) it is said to have ranged between 6%-7%. However, this rate had in 2013-14 fallen to 5-1%. The State still reflects many contrasts in economic and social contexts. For example, while on the one hand UP has fertile land, very large livestock population, fair base of water base, adequate rainfall, equable climate and huge manpower resources, on the other, it still has considerable incidence of poverty, unemployment, low incomes, lack of industrialization, poor health and education indicators and consequently, poor quality of life for its people. In 2013-14, the primary sector in UP grew only at 2.4% and the secondary sector rose at a measly 0.5%. It was the tertiary sector that saved the day. It grew at 8.1%. UP continues to rank low also in terms of human development indicators. In overall terms, according to a recent State of States Report 2013 prepared by the well-known economist, B. Debroy and L. Bhandari, UP ranked 18th amongst 20 big States. In infrastructure indicators it ranked 8th while in respect to health and education it ranked the last.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the prime sector in UP's economy, in terms of livelihood and food security needs. It provides occupation to about 70% of the population. A little under 70% of the State's area is cultivated and a little more than 50% of it is double cropped. About 80% of the cultivated area is reported to be irrigated. Agriculture achieved a growth rate of 2.7% against the Eleventh Plan target of 5.1%. Food grains produced in 2011-12 was5.19 lakh tonnes which was below the target. In terms of oilseeds, is low. The seed replacement rate(SRR) was 34.34% in 2011-12. In 2013-14, SRR for paddy was 40.49% and wheat was 34.5%. However, "there is also a need to improve farmer's access to new technologies, irrigation, credit, timely supply of inorganic and organic fertilizers…"(Dhar and Trivedi,2015). The recently announced The Pradhan Mantri Kissan Samman Nidhi, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the 2019 Union Budget, would be beneficial to small farmers who have less than 2 hectares of land holding. They will get Rs. 6000 per year as minimum income support. The government is also planning to introduce the PM-Kisan Scheme, through which, all farmers who have reached the age of 60 would get a pension of Rs.3000. These schemes will certainly be beneficial to small farmers in UP, whose number is greater than the farmers with big lands. However, implementing the schemes would be a great challenge. It will require proper fund management, transparency and accountability on the part of the farmers as well as the officers involved in their transaction, in the agriculture sector.
Livestock development
Livestock breeding, dairying, poultry and fisheries are recognized as important sub sectors of the agricultural economy and constitute important subsidiary activities for a large rural population in UP. It contributes a little less than 30% of value of the total output of agriculture and its allied sectors in the State. UP has the second highest cattle population. It has 6.30 crores of buffaloes, which is the largest in the country, as per livestock census. In 2013-14, UP produced 241.3 lakh mt. of milk which is also the largest in the country, contributing to 20% to national production. Meat production at the end of the Eleventh Plan was 2.8 lakh mt,tonnes.
Poultry sector is however, highly under developed in UP. And not performing well at all, though it has the potential of very considerable growth. It can also create jobs and income generation activities for many people. According to the Eleventh Plan Document, the total poultry is 17.8 million. UP produces about 1812 million eggs a year which works to 8 eggs /capita/year. This is because poultry is a neglected sector in UP. The production of poultry meat is also limited. UP produces only one tenth of day old broiler chicks than it actually requires. However, yet agro-economic conditions in OP ds have immense potential for enhancing the production of poultry products manifold.
Fisheries
The fresh water fish production in UP in 2012-13 was estimated to be 4.5 lakh mt. Against the national production of 63 lakh mt. "The State stood third amongst inland fish producing states in the country. Average fish productivity is around 3335 kg/ha/year, which is said to be higher than the national average. It is possible to double fish production if unutilized surface water areas are brought under fisheries and productivity is enhanced.
Horticulture
Horticulture includes vegetables, fruits, roots flowers herbs etc. Horticulture is very well suited to the diverse agro-ecological conditions of UP and has immense scope of expansion in terms of production, productivity and diversification. In terms of per ha value of outlay, fruits and vegetables yielded 3.63 times more value average of all such crops in India in 2007-08 ( NAS & Agr. Statistics at a Glance, 2008). Horticulture contributes a little over one fifth of the income generation by agriculture and its allied sectors in UP and its considerable potential for much enhanced value additions and more of incomes and work opportunities is well recognized. Vegetable production in 2012-13 was estimated to be 494 lakh mt., of fruits 166lakh mt. And of potato 144 lakh mt. The area under horticulture crops in 2013-14 was about 44 lakh ha.
Food Processing
"UP is brimming with the possibilities of developing food processing, which contributes very substantially to economic development through the processing, packaging, branding and marketing of processed food grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish, etc. Such types of products are available in abundance in UP, but less than 10% of them is processed. The type of diversification has still to receive full attention and encouragement in UP. Some marked initiatives have begun to be taken. These inter alia include a 700 crore include a 700 crore Mega Food Park in Kanpur, a maize processing plant in Kannaujand large sized dairy projects to be set up by Amul in Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Etawah. There is great potential for food processing units in UP.
Power sector
"Energy drives development. Without its adequate and timely availability and dependability economic growth in the needed measure cannot be achieved. Electricity is an indispensable key input for all economic sectors."(Dhar and Trivedi, 2015). According to Annual Power Document of UP, for 2014-15, peak demand of power was estimated to be the order of 13717MW in 2012-13. By 2016-17, the last year of the 12th Plan, the peak load demand is of the order23081 MW The State's own installed generating capacity in 2013-14 is only 5458 MW ( both thermal and hydro) while the share from central sector power projects was around 5081 MW. The rest of the gap was filled by market purchases of power and seasonal power cogeneration availability in the State. The peak demand and energy shortages in 2013=14 were 18.06% and 12.14% respectively. More power needs to be generated to cater to the needs of the State. Power generation is important but power conservation is equally important.
Renewable energy needs to be made an area of high priority based planning. Its contribution to the State energy is very limited. The New National Renewable Power Mission envisages an additional renewable energy generation of 175000MWby2022. A State Solar Power Policy has been announced in 2013 and the goal was to reach 1000MW capacity by 2017. For accelerating economic development, power sector is a key factor in UP. Without adequate energy growth can never be achieved.
Water Resources
The total available surface water reported for the state is about 126200 MAF. After deducting requirements for drinking, industry and other uses and excluding flood wastes, (which cannot be used) only 71.2 Maf. Is available for irrigation. The availability is yet to be fully and optimally utilized. Availability of ground water is estimated to be a little over 70 lakhs hectare meters. Over 70% of it has already been tapped. The groundwater draft is increasing from year to year and has to be scientifically and sustainably managed,
"It has been estimated that by 2025, the requirement of water would increase to 171 billion cubic liters... Experts believe that the increased demand could be met provided certain basic conditions are fulfilled and advanced action to that end taken." (Dhar and Trivedi, 2015) These steps include marked improvement in the water management chain, adoption of water conservation measures in all sector of use, utilization of surface and ground water in conjunctive modes, minimization of evaporation and transportation loses, reducing of water intensity losses, regulating water extraction, lining of canals and channels, encouraging drip and sprinkler irrigation, replacing and reconditioning old pumping equipment, enhancing power supplies for tube wells and rational water pricing. Rain water harvesting in urban areas could be another way of preserving water. Besides, problems like water pollution and disposal sewerage and other wastes into rivers have to be addressed speedily and firmly.
Roads and Transportation System
"The lifeline of transport in UP (apart from railways is the road system which comprises expressways, national highways, other district major roads and other district/village roads. The road system in UP has undergone considerable expansion but it is still deficient in coverage and suffers from many qualitative and quantitative deficiencies" (Dhar and Trivedi, 2015) By the end of 2013-14, UP had only 198126Km. Of surface roads and 89011 villages had been connected by all-weather roads, according to UP Annual Plan Budget, 2014-15. The state has decided to provide four lane roads to all 75 headquarters. 10 districts are situated on national highway routes and would be 4 lined under NHPD. The rest would be taken up by the State Government. Several gaps have to be taken care of with regards to roads. Road surface has to improve as traffic is increasing. Many bridges and over bridges have to be built and completed. Quality of road maintenance and road safety have also to be taken care of.
Transport is both necessary and pertinent for economic development. Access to habitations, markets, cities and towns, tourist and pilgrimage centers, commutation to work places and transportation of passengers and goods are some of the vatable areas where safe and efficient road transportation is required. Moreover, there has to be greater emphasis on public transport systems in order to reduce travel cost, road congestion and negative impact of vehicular emissions on the environment. UP's road transport policy has two main components.
Operational and Developmental
Over 80% of the bus fleet of 45000 and the truck fleet of nearly 450000, is privately owned. In 2012-13, there were 17 million vehicles of all types in UP. For improving traffic, one option is introduction of Metros. This has been successfully started in Lucknow, and soon other districts would also be covered under the Metro Plan.
Industrial Development
The state's resources, policy, incentives, infrastructure, climate and human capital are best suited for investment in diverse sectors such as information technology, agro based and food processing, light engineering goods, sports goods, textiles, leather based, tourism and biotechnology.
The state has well developed social, physical and industrial infrastructure. It has good connectivity through 48 national highways, 6 airports and rail links o all major cities. The State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) develops infrastructure for industries in the state. The State has 15 industrial areas, 12 specialized parks, 4 growth centers and Industrial Infrastructure Development Centers (IIDCs) As of June 2017, the State has 19 notified special economic zones (SEZ).
Education
UPs population is now over 21 crore and a good number of it is young. The demographic dividend cannot be reaped and converted into concrete economic growth and incomes as well as economic benefits unless abundant skilled labor becomes available. Such human resource must be educated, well trained and endowed with competitive modern skills that job markets need in the coming years. About 30% of the people in UP are illiterate. However, female literacy rate has improved over the years-from 3.6% in 1951 to 56.56% in 2011. The male literacy was 79.24 in the same year. Enrolment of children in the primary level is now over 3 crore. The net enrolment ratio in 2013-14 was 96.67%, but dropout rates are still high. There are over one lakh children still out of school. Only around 13-14% of children enter higher education. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has boosted enrolment to near saturation levels but quality of education remains a problem. The RTE has made basic education a right. There is a clear mandate that all children between the age group of 6-14 should be provided with free education.
As of 2013-14, enrolment to secondary education was 1.26crore. As for higher education the number was 2.6 million. The state has in all 42 Universities including central, private and deemed Universities. And those that teach technical and professional courses. There has been an over-expansion in the professional courses such aa engineering and management. Such expansion has been through private sector institutions. In 2011, at the degree level, the overall admission capacity of public and private institutions was 1.34 lakhs, while at diploma level, the capacity was only 37420. Quality of education at the higher level needs to be improved. It has to be vocationalized and skill oriented, rather than theoretical. It has to cater to the requirements of the jobs in the job market, for professionals.
Some other areas of concern are making available adequate financial and organizational resources for it, reforms of the examination evaluation and accreditation systems, effective regulation (especially in privately run institutions) and the enlisting of community participation at all levels. Education is a means of social, economic and political development as well as character building. It is therefore a necessity that UP achieves education for all by 2030.
Health and medical care
Health is a basic right of every citizen of UP. But it becomes an unrealized one for a majority of the people in the state. The purpose of planned development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. On this thought, UP has a long way to go. This is evident from some key indicators. Life expectancy in the state is still under 65 years and below the national average. The Infant Mortality Rate at 53 and the Maternal Mortality Rate of 258 is still high. According to NHFS-III, 47% of the children under three years were found to be underweight and 48.6% under five suffered from anemia. A little over one third of the adult population had Body Mass Index of less than 18.5. Public expenditure on health is also low at about 1.25% of the state's GSDP. The birth rate, (27.4/1000) and the death rate (7.7/1000) (SRS-2012 and the TFR at 3.8 (NHFS-III) are also higher than the national average.
Government and Politics
The Government of UP is a democratically state Government with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state, by the President of India. He is appointed for a period of five years. According to the Constitution of India, the Governor is the de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the Chief Minister. Therefore, following State Legislative Election, the Governor invites the leader of the party with a majority of seats to form the government. The remains the ceremonial head of the state while the chief minister and his council of ministers are responsible for the day to day activities of the state. Importance of UP to Indian politics is often of paramount importance as it sends the largest number of Members of Parliament both to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Culture
The culture of UP is expressed by its folk dances, conventional cuisines, and its values and traditions, which are handed over by ancestors to their descendants. It attracts tourists because of its historic cities, old forts, bazars and vibrant culture. The two great epics- Ramayana and Mahabharat originated in the state. The state has a plethora of festivals and fairs that add to its charm.
Important Fairs and Festivals
The Kumbh Mela, Magh Mela and Ardh Mela are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Allahabad. In Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna, Janamashtami, Radha Ashthami and Govardhan Pooja are celebrated with grat zest. In ayodhaya, Ram Nawami is celebrated with ardour.
Dances, Drama and Music
Besides the famous Kathak dance, the state has other dances, that are mostly folk dances.Rasila is one of the most popular performing arts of the state. It depicts the dance of Lord Krishna and the milkmaids. Ramlila is a drama form of the famous epic Ramayan Khayal is a form of semi-classical singing, which has originated in the courts of the nawabs of Awadh. Swanga is a dance drama of historical tales and ballads.
Traditional dresses of UP
Uttar Pradesh is a state of two sects- Hindus and Muslims. Women in the state wear sari and blouse or salwar kameez. Men either wear dhoti kurta or kurta pyjama. On festive occasions men go for sherwani, an embroidered kurta with churidars. Women wear lehanga on festive occasions. A lehanga is a long emdroidered skirt with matching blouse and a scarf known as odhani. Women also adorn themselves with jewellery.
Food
Uttar Pradesh is also the home of a wid)e variety of cuisines. UPs food is inherited both from the Nawab and Mughal rulers. In fact, each district has its own special delicacy. Dum Biriyani , Nahari, the famous Kulfi are some of the food items of the capital city of Lucknow. Petha and Dalmoth are the famous snacks of Agra. Meerut and the Western region of UP is famous for Kachori, a fried snack. Jaloan is very famous for the Gulab Jamun and in Barabanki, Chandrakala, an innovative adaptation of the Gujiya, (a sweet made in the Holi festival has started becoming famous.
Uttar Pradesh has so many surprises for tourists, that this write up cannot describe everything. To know more about it, you could chart a tour to this very monumental, historical and splendid state.
Places that could be visited in UP
Lucknow: Bada Imambara, Chota Imambara, Rumi Darwaza, Ambedkar Park, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, Residency, Chattar Manzil, Janeshwar Park,
Kanpur: Kanpur Zoological Park, Blue World ThemePark, Moti Jheel. Nana Rao Park, J.K. Temple, Kanpur Memorial Church, Beahmavart Ghat, Valmiki Ashram, Mahakaleshwar Pathar Ghat, Dhruv Teela, Sai Dsrbaaaar.
Agra: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Imam-ud-Daula, Tomb of Akbar the Great, Mehtab Bagh, Chini ka Rauza
Jhansi: Jhansi Fort, Sri Ram Raja Mandir, Rani Mahal, Jehangir Mahal Orchha, Orchha Fort Complex, Raja Mahal
Aligarh: Aligarh Fort, Khereshwar Temple, Jama Masjid, Ghanta Ghar, Sir Syed House Mosque, Naqvi Park
Varanasi: Dashashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Assi Ghat, Dhamek Stupa, Ramnagar Fort, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, Sarang Temple, Dharamrajika Stupa, Sri Digambar Jain Temple,
Mathura: Banke Bihari Temple, ISKCON Vrindavan, Prem Mandir, Vrindavan, Sri Radha Vallabh Temple, Char Dham Yatra, Radha Ramana. Sri Krishna Janambhoomi, Mathura Vrindavan Marg, Government Museum, Mathura, Dwarkadheesh Mandir, Mathura,
Prayagraj: Allahabad Fort, Anand Bhawan, Khusro Bagh, Allahabad Museum, Triveni Sangam, Swaraj Bhawan
Vindhyachal: Maa Vindhyavasini Mandir, Ashtabhuj Devi, Tanda Water Falls, Clock Tower, Mirzapur, Windom Falls, Mirzapur, Motia Talab
Noida: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Worlds of Wonder, Surajkunj, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Kalindi Kunj, Kid Zania Delhi NCR
Chitrakoot: Ram Ghat Road, Hanuman Dhara, Kamadgiri Temple, Sphatik Shila, Ram Ghat, Ram Bharat Milap,
Ayodhaya: Hanuman Garh Temple, Ram Janambhoomi, Kanak Bhawan, Hari Darshan Bhajan Mandir, Ram ki Pauri
Lakinpur Kheri : Dudhwa National Park:
Ghaziabad: Drizzling Land Water and Amusement Park, City Forest, ISKCON Temple, GT Karnal Road, The Rurban Village, ISSKCON Temple, Sahibabad
Hastinapur: Janbudweep, Digamber Jain Mandir, Jambudweep Jain Tirth National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary
Muzzafarnagar: Ganeshdham, Vahelna Jain Mandir, Bhairon ka Mandir, Akshay V/at VatikaSankirtan Bhawan, Zoology Museum
Meerut: Augarmath Templr, SDhahid Smarak, St. John’s Church, Aamir Khadi Udyog, Ghanta Ghar, Suraj Kunj Park
Unnao: Nawabgang Bird Sanctuary
Barabanki: Dewa Sharif
Sitapur: Naimisharanya
