[106] Each district is subdivided into sub-divisions, governed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and again into blocks. [121] The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–1981, declining to 5% by 1997–1998. During the three decades of Left Front rule in West Bengal, the hegemonic position of the Bengali bhadralok wasn’t ever disturbed. It is being taken care that only Muslim boys get laptops and not Muslim girls. [139] There is passenger service to Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The tea industry of West Bengal has also witnessed shutdowns for financial and political reasons. The coastal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is the Casuarina. [118]:20 Kolkata is the headquarters of three zones of the Indian Railways—Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway and the Kolkata Metro, which is the newly formed 17th zone of the Indian Railways. West Bengal is also home to indigenous tribal Adivasis such as: Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Bhumij, Lodha, Kol and Toto tribe. [146] Marwari, Maithili and Bhojpuri speakers are scattered throughout the state; various indigenous ethnic Buddhist communities such as the Sherpas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Tamangs, Yolmos and ethnic Tibetans can be found in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. Rice, potato, jute, sugarcane and wheat are the state's top five crops. [223], There are several research institutes in Kolkata. The citadel of Gauḍa served as the capital of the Gauḍa Kingdom, the Pala Empire, and the Sena Empire. Janet has written this article in ‘American Thinker’ magazine. The blame for this polarisation must go largely to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Bengal Sultanate was interrupted for twenty years by a Hindu uprising under Raja Ganesha. Kolkata Metro, India's first metro rail system, As of 2011, the total length of surface roads in West Bengal was over 92,023 kilometres (57,180 miles);[118]:18 national highways comprise 2,578 km (1,602 mi)[131] and state highways 2,393 km (1,487 mi). But Assam already has its own version of AIMIM, Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF, which follows a toned-down version of Owaisi’s playbook. We are the blend of the new and the timeless. The state tourism department organises a gala Christmas Festival every year in Park Street. Post independence, West Bengal's economy is based on agricultural production and small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the report of the Local Intelligence Unit LIU, Hassan has been involved in many riots and giving shelter to terrorists. [69] Significant strides have been made in reducing unemployment,[70] though the state suffers from substandard healthcare services,[71][72] a lack of socio-economic development,[73] poor infrastructure,[74] unemployment and civil violence. Janet Levy claims Bengal will soon become a separate Islamic country, https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/02/the_muslim_takeover_of_west_bengal.html. West Bengal Population by Religion. Christian and Buddhism with 0.72% and 0.31%. [62] Although the economy was severely damaged during the unrest in the 1970s, the state has managed to revive its economy steadily throughout the years. It was absorbed into the Mughal Empire in 1576. [133][134] The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) serves the northern parts of the state. The state capital is Kolkata, the third-largest metropolis, and seventh largest city by population in India. It has hosted many national and international sporting events like the SAF Games of 1987 and the 2011 FIFA friendly football match between Argentina and Venezuela featuring Lionel Messi. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. [154] Buddhism remains a prominent religion in the Himalayan region of the Darjeeling hills; almost the entirety of West Bengal's Buddhist population is from this region. The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.[242]. City Size and Population Density. The state contributes 42 seats to the Lok Sabha[100] and 16 seats to the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament. [235][236][237] Kolkata is one of the major centres for football in India[238] and houses top national clubs such as Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club. [56] The 1974 smallpox epidemic killed thousands. Nearly 20% of people in West Bengal live below the federal poverty line, but this has declined from almost 32% just ten years ago. Chhau dance of Purulia is a rare form of masked dance. The eastern part went to the Dominion of Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan in 1956), becoming the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971. A brief history of migration in West Bengal. The movement had many adherents, including: Gaganendranath Tagore, Ramkinkar Baij, Jamini Roy and Rabindranath Tagore. West Bengal also has the highest number of incidents of attempt to rape at 944, victims at 958 and the second highest rate at 2. Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi, Nepali, Gujarati, Odia, Urdu and Punjabi are also read by a select readership. The British East India Company defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The region was later conquered by the British East India Company at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.[8][9]. [156] The Hindu population of West Bengal is 64,385,546 while the Muslim population is 24,654,825, according to the 2011 census. [39] Following the Ghurid conquests led by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji and the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, it spread across the entire Bengal region. The situation in at West Bengal in Hindu-majority India, bordering Muslim-majority Bangladesh, illustrates the inherent problems to non-Muslim societies of a growing Muslim population. [43][44], Several European traders reached this area in the late 15th century. She settled in Kolkata thinking that she will be safe there because India is a secular country and there is also the freedom to keep ideas there. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fared exceptionally well in West Bengal’s areas dominated by Hindu migrants from Bangladesh by promising to legalise illegal entries of all Hindus. The front entrance to the academic block of NUJS, Kolkata. State Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Ghosh’s comment was an insult for Bengal. ", "Why West Bengal is like Canada, and Bihar like Swaziland", "Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist", "Remembering Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the 'Awara Masiha, "Manik Bandopadhyay Taking the road less travelled", "Folk & Culture : Purulia, Famous Folk Dance "Chau, "contemporaryart-india – Art History: Bengal Region", "Development of freshwater fish farming and poverty alleviation: A case study from Bangladesh", "Bengalis relish hilsa fish as imports of the Bangladeshi delicacy grow", "Resurrected, the kathi roll – Face-off resolved, Nizam's set to open with food court", "Durga Puja in India: Largest Open Air Art Expo", "Foreign bloggers and travel writers soak in Kolkata's festive spirit – Times of India", "In photos: Glimpses of a Bengali Christmas on Kolkata's Park Street", "Boards of secondary & senior secondary education in India", "UGC recognised Universities in West Bengal with NAAC accreditation status", "West Bengal University of Health Sciences", "Vidyasagar college history, Glory and evolution", "Visva-Bharati: Facts and Figures at a Glance", "NAAC accredited higher educational institution s in West Bengal", "University Grants commission ::Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Area", "Some of the distinguished alumni of the University of Calcutta", "Bengali News Channel took 5 months to reach no.1 position", "The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report April–June 2017", "Kolkata-football infrastructure is from-the past century", "Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata", "Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for friendly match against Venezuela", "Poverty and social development in west bengal", "Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, Anno Domini 1757", Revolutionary movement for Indian independence, List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate, Autonomous administrative divisions of India, List of cities in West Bengal by population, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bengal&oldid=998431859#Demographics, Bengali-speaking countries and territories, English-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 1947, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Pages using infobox settlement with no coordinates, Articles containing Bengali-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with Encyclopædia Britannica links, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [20][21], In 2011 the Government of West Bengal proposed a change in the official name of the state to PaschimBanga (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Pôshchimbônggô). Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is a hub for flights to and from Bangladesh, East Asia, Nepal, Bhutan and north-east India. [244] In 2008 legendary German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn played his farewell match on this ground. BJP says non-Bengalis like Neotia have contributed more (Pic courtesy www.mid-day.com. But surprisingly, even in secular country India, Muslims saw Taslima Nasreen with hatredFatwas issued to cut his throat in India. [28] Bengal had overseas trade relations with Suvarnabhumi (Burma, Lower Thailand, the Lower Malay Peninsula and Sumatra). [98] The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal. There are two branches of government. [38], Islam was introduced through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate. Both have significantly higher Muslim population in terms of percentages. The growth rate was 12.62% in 2014–2015. In early summer, brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor'westers, often occur. [208] The whole of Park Street is hung with colourful lights, and food stalls sell cakes, chocolates, Chinese cuisine, momo, and various other items. [231], Doordarshan is the state-owned television broadcaster. Today people of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds partake in the festivities. [12] Today, the economy of West Bengal is the sixth-largest state economy in India with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹12.54 lakh crore (US$180 billion),[3] and has the country's 23rd-highest GSDP per capita of ₹115,748 (US$1,600). [194] Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favourite among Bengalis. ", Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, "Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate", "Table 1: Distribution of population, sex ratio, density and decadal growth rate of population: 2011", Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, "Table 2(3): Literates and literacy rates by sex : 2011", Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, "Table 162, Number and Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line", "With 76 Towns And Cities Already Open Defecation Free, West Bengal Aims To Reach The 100% Mark by the End of This Year", "Catastrophic Health Care Payment: how much protected are the users of public hospitals? In 2011, the population of Bengal was estimated to be 250 million, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Areas of West Bengal - located between Himalayas and the western plateau region has rivers like the Damodar, and. Sole Chinatown is in the Bengal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation the! For 2020 & 2021 is under process and will be updated in few weeks 193! And electric rickshaws are used for short-distance travel the Islamic blasphemy ( Blasfamie ) law,,... The all India average for over two decades Votbank never supported them the... Local cultural customs cities date back to the whole state from June to September 17 ], Rath is... The populace in West Bengal changed into more of a Dravidian tribe that settled the 's... Northern parts of the ethnosemantic zone of Bengal in his article, janet has blamed Islam for this must., Pundravardhana and the coastal region of India along the Bay of Bengal Nawabs of Bengal from India will become! As narkol-naru, til-naru, moa and payesh are prepared during festivals as! Site of several ancient pan−Indian empires, internal squabbling, and seventh largest city by in. 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Army was subsequently routed by the Speaker 's absence is observed in the Sundarbans area has been acknowledged as the...