Therefore, the population of West Bengal in 2019 is 95.8992 Million + 0.43984 Million = 96.33904 Million. Part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. Post independence, West Bengal's economy is based on agricultural production and small and medium-sized enterprises. [158], The literacy rate is 77.08%, higher than the national rate of 74.04%. [42] It was ruled by dynasties of the Bengal Sultanate and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. West Bengal, unlike most other states of India, is noted for its passion and patronage of football. Refugee resettlement and related issues continued to play a significant role in the politics and socio-economic condition of the state. Richard Maxwell Eaton, The rise of Islam and the Bengal frontier, 1204–1760, 1993. [30], The kingdom of Magadha was formed in the 7th century BCE, consisting of the regions now comprising Bihar and Bengal. [218] The state government granted it university status in 2010 and it was renamed Presidency University. [96] Above an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), the forest becomes predominantly subtropical. [57] Banerjee was re-elected as Chief Minister in the 2016 election in which Trinamool Congress won an absolute majority. When we go through the population figures of Howrah from 2014-18, it shows that in a span of the last 5 years the population has gone up by 0.556 Million. According to the 2011 census, West Bengals scheduled caste population of 1.84 crore is a crucial vote bank. A small coastal region is in the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a geographical landmark at the Ganges delta. ^ Election results 2019: Bengal votes for the BJP, breaks many stereotypes, The Hindu … [199][200], Bengali women commonly wear the sari, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. [101], Politics in Bengal is dominated by the All India Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and the Left Front alliance (led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)). ", 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? Both West and East Bengal experienced large influxes of refugees during and after partition in 1947. The Dinhata city is divided into 15 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. The region was a hotbed of the Indian independence movement and has remained one of India's great artistic and intellectual centres. [94] The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain, combined with favourable rainfall, makes this region especially fertile. Population of India 2019: Looking into the latest UN data, the approximate population of India is 1,350,438,098. The Hingalganj Census Town has population of 8,179 of which 4,129 are males while 4,050 are females as per report released by Census India 2011. Heavy rainfall of above 250 centimetres (98 in) is observed in the Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar district. Secondary schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS), West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, or the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education. The tea industry of West Bengal has also witnessed shutdowns for financial and political reasons. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. [216] Sir William Jones established the Asiatic Society in 1794 to promote oriental studies. [23][24][25], Stone Age tools dating back 20,000 years have been excavated in the state, showing human occupation 8,000 years earlier than scholars had thought. Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water) with onion and green chili is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas. Sweets such as narkol-naru, til-naru, moa and payesh are prepared during festivals such as Lakshmi puja. In contrast, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. Together with Bangladesh, it comprises of the ethnosemantic zone of Bengal. [34] Shashanka is often recorded in Buddhist annals as an intolerant Hindu ruler noted for his persecution of the Buddhists. [158] The gender ratio is 947 females per 1,000 males. [243] Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000. This figure shows that the yearly population increase is of 0.43984 Million. [22] This is the native name of the state, literally meaning "western Bengal" in the native Bengali language. Rabindra Jayanti, Kolkata Book Fair, Kolkata Film Festival, and Nazrul Jayanti. Just like Durga Puja, Christmas in Kolkata is an occasion when all communities and people of every religion take part. It also borders the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. [163], As of September 2017, of 125 towns and cities in Bengal, 76 have achieved open defecation free (ODF) status. As West Bengal goes to the polls for nine LS seats on Sunday, one question remains largely unanswered. The agricultural sector in particular rose to 8.33% in 2010–11 before tumbling to −4.01% in 2012–13. [32], Two kingdoms—Vanga or Samatata, and Gauda—are said in some texts to have appeared after the end of the Gupta Empire although details of their ascendancy are uncertain. [135] The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of NFR, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of the lives of Mahavira, the principal figure of Jainism and Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism. [241] The stadium is the home to various cricket teams such as the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Bengal cricket team and the East Zone. Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister although the titular head of government is the Governor. A leather complex has been built in Kolkata. In the same year, plans for a 300 billion Jindal Steel project was mothballed. This is based on the 2011 Census and latest estimates put it at around 30 percent of the population. [183] Like other states in northern India, West Bengal also has a heritage in North Indian classical music. 18. Rice is the state's principal food crop. [148] The Darjeeling district also has a large Nepali immigrant population, making Nepali a widely spoken language there. [106] Each district is subdivided into sub-divisions, governed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and again into blocks. [52] Bengalis played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar were dominant. This urban general constituency has an estimated Scheduled Caste population of 11.72% and a Scheduled Tribe population of 1.02%. [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. [206], Eid al-Fitr is the most important Muslim festival in West Bengal. [181] Other folk music forms include Gombhira and Bhawaiya. Islam was introduced through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate, but following the Ghurid conquests led by Bakhtiyar Khalji and the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, the Muslim faith spread across the entire Bengal region. [167], The Bengali language boasts a rich literary heritage it shares with neighbouring Bangladesh. [230] Other major Bengali newspapers are: Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Jago Bangla, Uttarbanga Sambad and Ganashakti. Native Magahi speakers are found in Malda district. Kolkata: The Jhargram Lok Sabha constituency in the state of West Bengal goes to polls on May 12 in the sixth phase of the 2019 general elections. Indeed, even after the rising of Bangladesh as a free nation in 1971, migration to the state was still going on. [51] Bengal suffered from the Great Bengal famine in 1943, which claimed three million lives during World War II. Diamond Harbour is a Lok Sabha / Parliamentary constituency in South East Bengal region of West Bengal in East India. West Bengal population in 2021 is estimated to be 100 Million (10 Crores), According to Unique Identification Aadhar India, updated 31, May 2020, by mid of year 2020 the projected population is 99,609,303 and it is the fourth-largest populated state in India. [179][180], A notable music tradition is the Baul music, practised by the Bauls, a sect of mystic minstrels. [119] Important manufacturing industries include: engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. [84] At night, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. [164][165], A study conducted in three districts of West Bengal found that accessing private health services to treat illness had a catastrophic impact on households. Bengali Hindus consolidate a vast part of the population over here. The state accounts for the second highest population of Muslims in India (2.47 crore) and third highest, in terms of proportion (27 percent). Pollution of the Ganges from indiscriminate waste dumped into the river is a major problem. Dial-up access is provided throughout the state by BSNL and other providers. The population of all cities and towns in the State … [102] Prior to this, West Bengal was ruled by the Left Front for 34 years (1977–2011), making it the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. (1955). universal among the 6 to 14-year age group then drops to 70% with the 15 to 17-year age group. There are a small number of ethnic minorities primarily in the state capital, including : Chinese, Tamils, Maharashtrians, Odias, Assamese, Malayalis, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Jews, Punjabis and Parsis. [110] Other larger cities and towns in West Bengal are: Durgapur, Howrah, Bardhaman, Baharampur, Jalpaiguri, Kharagpur and Chandannagar. Out of which 140334 are males while 136079 are females. On this day, processions begin at the various Buddhist monasteries, or gumpas, and congregate at the Chowrasta (Darjeeling) Mall. [191][192], The capital, Kolkata, was the workplace of several social reformers, including Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda. The state contributes 42 seats to the Lok Sabha[100] and 16 seats to the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament. [152] Muslims, the second-largest community as well as the largest minority group, comprise 27.01% of the total population,[153] Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and other religions make up the remainder. For West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, it is “closing now”--2021 being the outer date--according to a 2018 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report. [117] Agriculture is the leading economic sector in West Bengal. [119] The Durgapur-Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of steel plants. [3] West Bengal also has the 28th-highest ranking among Indian states in human development index, with the index value being less than that of India. Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is a multipurpose stadium in Kolkata, with a current capacity of 85,000. West Bengal has emerged as the state with the largest number of cattle in 2019 (Chart 2), followed by Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. This figure shows that the yearly population increase is of 0.43984 Million. Every district has weaving clusters, which are home to artisan communities, each specialising in specific varieties of handloom weaving. As of the end of March 2017, the state was the second-highest debt-GSDP ratio at 33.8 per cent. [111], As of 2015[update], West Bengal has the sixth-highest GSDP in India. 2019 – 96.33904 Million. Chhau dance of Purulia is a rare form of masked dance. The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project devoted to conserving the endangered Bengal tiger, although the forest hosts many other endangered species such as the Gangetic dolphin, river terrapin and estuarine crocodile. 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