DISTRICT PROFILE ROHTAS INTRODUCTION

is one of the thirty-eight districts of .  Rohtas was established as an independent district in 1972 before which it was a sub-division of district.  Rohtas district is a part of Division.  Rohtas district is surrounded by the districts of Bhojpur and in the north, Palamu and Garwah districts of in the south, Aurangabad and Jehanabad in the east and Kaimur in the west.  The important river flowing through the district is Sone.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 Legend connects Rohtas hill to Rohitashwa, the son of Raja who was famous for his piety and truthfulness.

, the administrative headquarters of Rohtas district, is a place of historical importance. Local legend connects king Sahasrabahu with Sasaram, who was killed during a terrible fight with sage Parsuram. The name Sahasram is derived from the combination of Sahasrabahu and Parsuram.

 The district of Rohtas formed a part of the Magadh empire from the 6th B.C. to 5th century A.D. The minor rock edict of emperor Ashok at Chandan Sahid near Sasaram confirm the Mauryan conquest of Rohtas. The Kannauj dynasty also ruled over the region.

 In 1537 seized the fortresses of Chunar and Rohtasgarh from Afghan ruler but was ultimately defeated by him at Chausa.

 The district is home to the Rohtasgarh fort, which was one of the strongest forts of the medieval age.

 A parallel road cum rail bridge built over the Sone river is a symbol of national pride. The 3061 m. long road bridge called Jawahar Setu built by Gammon in 1963–65 was the longest in Asia until it was surpassed by the built over river at Patna. The railway bridge called Nehru Setu is the second longest railway bridge in India.

ADMINISTRATIVE  Sasaram is the administrative headquarters of Rohtas district.  Rohtas district comprises of 3 sub-divisions namely Sasaram, and and 19 blocks.

o Akorhigola o o

o Bikramganj o o Sasaram

o Chenari o o

o o o Surajpura

o Dehri o Nokha o

o Dinara o Rajpur

o Karakat o Rohtas  Total number of panchayats in Rohtas district: 244.  Total number of villages in Rohtas district: 2088.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

 Rohtas district has an agricultural economy.  DEHRI on Sone is an industrial town of Rohtas district. Its coal depot brings traders from all over north India. There is also a hydropower generation unit.  Until 1980, was one of the major industrial cities in India. Rohtas Industries which has now closed down, had , vegetable oil, cement, paper, and chemical factories. The campus of Dalmianagar factory has been taken by railways for the establishment of railway factory there.  Rohtas has mineral resources such as lime stone, pyrites, sand and sandstone.  15% of the total geographical area of Rohtas district is under forest having trees such as karan, chandan, teak ,gamahar, khair, asan, tendu , mahua, sism, bahera, kathal and bamboo. There are micro & small enterprises relating to the manufacture of Katha, wooden furniture, Biri, bamboo- tokri/basket and leaf plates.  The district is suitable for setting up mineral and forest based small scale industries.

Per Capita Gross State and District Domestic Product

13404 15000 11311 10873 1092011815 12272 9832 10237 9344 9750 10000

5000

0 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Per Capita Gross District Domestic Product Per Capita Gross State Domestic Product

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Bihar

GEOGRAPHIC

Coordinates Latitude: 24º 30' to 25º 20' North Longitude: 83º 14' to 83º 20' East Temperature 45° C (Max.) 10° C (Min.) Average rainfall 952 mm.

Area 3847.82 sq. km.

Altitude 107.78 meters

Source: MSME – DI Patna, official website of district

DEMOGRAPHIC

Population 2,962,593

Population density 770 per sq. km.

Population growth 20.22%

Sex ratio 914 per 1000 male

Literacy rate 76.59%

Languages spoken Bhojpuri and

INDUSTRIAL

Registered industrial units 4582

Registered medium & large 02 units Total industrial units 10455 No. of industrial area Nil Types of industries Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes, ready-made garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipments, repairing & servicing. INVESTMENT

 Agriculture is the main activity of Rohtas district and , , maize, mustard, pulses, oil seed, pigeon-pea are the major crops grown here.  Cement is one of the major exportable items in the district.  The district has 3 major clusters namely blanket weaving, stone crushing and rice mill cluster.

Investment (Rs. In Lakhs) 6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

Source: MSME – DI Patna

INDUSTRIAL PROFILE

 Major industries include metal, wood, repairing & servicing and agro processing.

 Potential areas for service industry: Auto garage, hotel & hospital, government & private technical institute.

 Potential for new MSMEs: Food processing industries.

INDUSTRIES AT A GLANCE

Registered industrial units 4582 Total industrial units 10455 Registered medium & large units 2 Estimated avg. no. of daily workers employed in 4 small scale industries Employment in large and medium industries 250 No. of industrial area Nil

EXISTING MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES AND ARTISAN UNITS

Type of industry No. of Investment Units (Rs. Lakh) Agro based 2045 5200 Soda water 5 10 Cotton textile 51 102.5 Woolen , silk & artificial thread based clothes 15 45.05 Readymade garments and embroidery 180 18 Wood/wooden based products 231 12.95 Paper and paper products 23 12.25 Leather based 92 18.45 Rubber, plastic and petro based 35 45.15 Chemical & chemical based 5 1.29 Mineral based 145 1450 Metal based 307 307.05 Engineering units 127 127.65 Electrical machinery and transport equipment 5 4 Repairing and servicing 355 175 Others 961 562.29 Total 4582 8091.63 Source: MSME – DI Patna INFRASTRUCTURE

 The district has 3 major clusters namely blanket weaving, stone crushing and rice mill cluster.  Micro & small industries are facing electricity problem, finance problem & marketing problem.  Types of industries prevailing in Rohtas district are:  Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes, readymade garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipments, repairing & servicing.  Total no. of hospitals and health centers: 297  Total no. of commercial banks and financial institutions: 134  Educational institutions:  No. of primary schools – 1220  No. of middle schools – 362  No. of secondary and senior secondary schools – 111  No. of colleges – 15

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY  Agriculture is the main activity of this district and wheat, rice, maize, mustard, pulses, oil seed, pigeon-pea are the major crops grown here.  Rohtas district is known as the rice bowl of Bihar and has a rice mill cluster of 40 units.  The district has a huge potential for setting up food processing industry.

LARGE SCALE INDUSTRY/ PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKING

M/S Kalyanpur Cements Ltd., Banjari, Rohtas

MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES

JBL – Dalda & Refined manufacturing , Dehri- on-Sone

Potential Micro & Major Existing Potential Service Small Enterprise Clusters Enterprises

• Food processing • Blanket weaving •Auto garage industries • Stone crushing •Hotel & hospital • Rice mill cluster •Government & private technical institute

Source: MSME – DI Patna TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

•Dehri-on- •The district is •The nearest Sone and well connected airport is at Sasaram are with roads. Patna from important Grant Trunk where regular railway Road Road passes flights are Airport Railway junctions havi through the available to all ng connection heart of both of important with all major Dehri and towns and stations. Sasaram cities across the country.

EDUCATION

 Rohtas District has several educational institutes. Some of them are listed below :

 Gems English High school

 DAV Public school

 Alpsankhyak Balika Uch Vidayala

 Rajendra Vidyalaya

 Indian Public school  Primary school Kamaranganj  HOTELS:

 Hotel Sher Shah, Hotel Gopal Deluxe, Hotel Jaya, Hotel Vijay.  Major tourist sites in Rohtas district:  Rohtas Garh: Situated 5 kms. west of Rohtas town, Rohtas Garh fort, one of the most interesting places in Bihar, is supposed to have been built by Harishchandra of the Solar dynasty and named after his son Rohitasva. Built on a steep limestone plateau surrounded by dense forests, it can be reached by 2000 steps made for climbing of elephants. Many streams cross the plateau making the soil productive, hence the inhabitants of the fort could hold out for months against a besieging enemy. Thus the fort could not be taken by force but only by deceit and cunningness. There is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva, locally known as the Chaurasan Mandir.  Tomb of Sher Shah Suri: The magnificent mausoleum of Emperor Sher Shah Suri at Sasaram is one of the noblest specimens of Pathan architecture in India. Hexagonal in shape and build of stone, this second highest tomb in India is situated in the middle of a tank.  Tomb of Hasan Khan Suri: The mausoleum of Hasan Khan Suri, the father of Emperor Sher Shah Suri is also located in Sasaram. It consists of an octagonal hall surmounted by a large dome.  The Ashok inscription at Chand-tan-pir on a hill near Sasaram is also of historical value.  In 1982 Rohtas district became home to Kaimur wildlife sanctuary which is spread over an area of 1,342 sq. km.

Industries Department 2nd Floor, Vikas Bhawan, Bailey Road, Patna, Bihar 800 015

Udyog Mitra, Dept. of Industries Govt. of Bihar Ground Floor, Indira Bhawan, RCS Path, Patna, Bihar 800 001. Tel : +91 612 2532695 Fax : +91 612 2532695 Email: [email protected] www.udyogmitrabihar.com