Cse Interview Material 2020 West Bengal State Related Material
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Academy for Civil Services Pvt. Ltd. CSE INTERVIEW MATERIAL 2020 WEST BENGAL STATE RELATED MATERIAL IAS YAN WEST BENGAL STATE RELATED MATERIAL Bits and Pieces of West Bengal’s History and Geography The name of Bengal or Bangla is derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga, or Banga. In early Sanskrit literature references to the name of Banga occur, through its early history is almost obscure until the 3rd century BC However, West Bengal have history dating back 10000 years. Stone age tools and remnants of Copper age also found in this region, date back to 4000 years. In ancient period, the region was called Gangaridai which literally means wealth of the Ganges The first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashank, reigning around the early 7th century. After a period of anarchy, the Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter region of the Hindu Sena dynasty The Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered Bengal in 1574 and controlled the administration through appointed Subahdars. Following this, British arrival was marked during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir The year 1757 emerged out be an epoch in Bengal‘s as well as India‘s history. Siraj-ud- Daulah, the independent Nawab of Bengal lost to the British in the Battle of Plassey which led to the beginning of colonialism in India. Bengal was also the centre of India‘s Freedom struggle. The declaration of partition of Bengal in 1905 gave an impetus to the freedom struggle of Bengal vis-à-vis India. When India gained independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. In 1950 the Princely State of Cooch Behar merged with West Bengal while in 1955 the former French enclave of Chandannagar was integrated into West Bengal. The geography of the state is unique that its northern part is in the Himalayan Range, whereas the extreme southern part touches with Bay of Bengal and is covered by the active delta of the Sundarbans Mangrove forest. West Bengal has four major geographical regions- the Chotonagpur plateau region in its northwestern parts, the Himalaya mountain region in its north, the lower Gangetic plain region and the coastal belt. Within India, it shares boundaries with Sikkim, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. While the international borders of West Bengal touch with Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Demographic Profile of West Bengal:- Taken from Census 2011 and NFHS-5 Share in India‘s population: 7.54%. West Bengal has the 4th largest population among Indian states after Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. Decadal growth rate = 13.84% P a g e | 1 With a value of 1028 persons per sq. km the state is the second most dense Indian state behind Bihar Literacy rate: 76.26% Sex ratio: 950 as compared to national value of 943 Child sex ratio: 956 as compared to national value of 918 NFHS- 5 Data Economic performance of West Bengal (Source:- IBEF, Hindustan Times & NITI Aayog) West Bengal is India‘s sixth largest state in terms of economic size. Its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is expected to reach Rs. 14.44 trillion (US$ 206.64 billion) in 2020-21. Average annual GSDP growth rate is about 12.62% between 2015-16 and 2020-21. West Bengal has 12 growth centres for medium and large-scale industries, set up by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). Major industrial areas of West Bengal are Haldia, Kolkata, Asansol- Durgapur region, and Kharagpur As of November 2020, West Bengal had a total installed power generation capacity of 11,061.85 MW, of which 6,497.95 MW was under state utilities. Of the total installed power capacity, 9,097.62 MW was contributed by thermal power, 1,396.00 MW (hydropower) and 568.23 MW (renewable power). The state received investment of Rs. 4.45 lakh crore (US$ 63.13 billion) in large industry from five Global Summit organized in the state so far West Bengal plans to raise its share in the country‘s IT export to 25% by 2030. Total export from IT sector of the state crossed an estimated Rs. 22,897 crore (US$ 3.28 billion) in 2018-19. Government of West Bengal has allocated Rs. 260 crore (US$ 36.88 million) for the development of the IT and Electronics department in West Bengal in the previous budget. Its location advantage makes the state a traditional market for eastern India, the Northeast, Nepal, and Bhutan. It is also a strategic entry point for markets in Southeast Asia. The cost of operating a business is lower in Kolkata than in other metropolitan cities As of February 2020, West Bengal had 21 SEZs, of which, 7 were operational, 5 were notified, 7 were formally approved, and 2 having in-principle approval. In terms of agriculture, West Bengal is the largest producer of rice in India, second largest producer of potato in India, second largest tea-producing state in India and is home to the globally acclaimed Darjeeling tea variety. Moreover, the state is also a key producer of petroleum and petrochemicals. S. No Major Indicators West Bengal 1 Population Below 15 years age (in %) 23.5% 2 Sex Ratio 1049 3 Sex Ratio at Birth 973 4 Women Literacy 76.1 % 5 Total Fertility Rate 1.6 6 NNMR 15.5 7 IMR 22 8 U5MR 25.4 9 Average out of pocket expenses in public facility Rs. 2683 10 Institutional Births 91.7 % P a g e | 2 Demand for Gorkhaland (Source:- The IE, The Hindu) What is Gorkhaland? Gorkhalandis a region consists of Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and other hilly districts of West-Bengal. The people belonging to these areas have ethical, cultural and language differences with the Bengali community of West- Bengal. It is a proposed new state demanded by the Gorkhas to be carved out of West Bengal. History behind the demand The demand for a Gorkhaland is as old as 1907. The first plea made for an administrative set-up outside of Bengal was in 1907 to the Morley- Minto Reforms panel. Thereafter, numerous representations were made every few years, first to the British government and then to free India‘s government for separation from Bengal. However, the agitation by Subhash Ghising led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), further brought this issue in focus and the term ―Gorkhaland‖ was coined in 1980 A 2007 agitation, now led by GorkhalandJanmuktiMorcha, led to the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), with its powers expanded vis-à-vis the earlier Hill Council. The Gorkhas opposed the inclusion of GTA into the sixth schedule and intensified their demand for a separate statehood Reasons for demanding new state The main reason for the demand of the separate Gorkhaland movement is due to the differences in ethnicity, culture and language. The people of Nepali-Indian Gorkha ethnic origin on the Northern part of West Bengal demands a state on basis of their cultural identity, which is very different from Bengali culture. Moreover, there is also an issue of poverty, under-development and politicisation of the issue. According to experts, it was a failure of governance combined with politicisation that bred the Gorkhaland issue. Major Movements related to Gorkhaland All India Gorkha League (AIGL) came into existence in 1943 as the first political party in the Darjeeling hills. After India‘s independence, it demanded the addition of Darjeeling to Assam and started ‗Assam Chalo‘ movement The biggest and most violent agitation took place in 1986 under the banner of GNLF, led by Subhash Ghising, who coined the term ―Gorkhaland‖. In 2010-2011, the Gorkhaland agitation saw a new turn after local leaders fought among themselves P a g e | 3 In 2013, the demand for separation rose high again due to the division of Andhra Pradesh. The movement was peaceful under the leadership of GJM, who adopted the innovative silent method of protest called ―Janta Bandh‖. People were told to voluntarily stay inside on 13th and 14th August. Causes of recent agitation The decision to impose Bengali language in all schools from Class I to Class IX by the government in West Bengal has sparked violent protests in Gorkha-led Darjeeling. It was seen as an attack on the Gorkha culture who consider Nepali as their mother tongue and thereby it led to immediate protests Aggressive response from state leading to the death of protestors made whole situation even worse. Why Movement matters? It is one of the oldest movement in India which began in 1907. Movement has potential to affect India- Nepal diplomatic relations. How India treats the problems of the Nepali people of hill origin in Darjeeling will affect how Nepal deals with the people of Indian origin in Nepal, i.e. Madhesi in Terai. Gorkhaland has a strategic importance to India. Its vicinity to the chicken neck corridor that connects rest of India with North East makes it a special region therefore, its stability is must for India‘s strategic and economic interests of the nation. State Economy wise, Darjeeling is a tea and tourist hot-spot. It has potential to become the economic engine of the East with a sustainable economic model. What can be done? Effective and meaningful dialogue and co-engagement should be the first step. Division of the state: o It may create a stable and responsible government in Darjeeling. o Better focus on poverty, infrastructure and other development indicators. o Example of the positive regionalism. Positive Regionalism is the situation when demand because of underdevelopment and exploitation of the region. Negative Regionalism is the regionalism that demands separate region on basis of religion, community, ethnicity, race etc.