Published On : Thu, Aug 4th, 2016

Why the demand for Vidarbha State?

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Vidarbha Map
Nagpur:
The separate Vidarbha issue has come alive, again. The issue has been discussed many times on several threads, fought on streets and august houses. What one can see is indeed, the governments (any) in power did not do enough to develop this region. Whenever the demand for Vidarbha State is raised at one platform or the other, minds are crowded with a question: Why the demand for a separate Vidarbha? Well, the answer may be found in the following points:

  • Chhattisgarh State was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Now, the growth rate of the State stands at 9.2 percent. Madhya Pradesh, on the other hand, has 4.2%, only.
  • Jharkhand State too was created by bifurcating Bihar. The growth rate of the State is now 11.1% while Bihar is crawling at 4.7%.
  • Uttarakhand was separated from Uttar Pradesh. Now, the new State has 8.8% growth rate and Uttar Pradesh is content with 4.6.
  • Telangana was born out of Andhra Pradesh. The newest State has 9.8% growth rate as compared to 5.5 percent of Andhra Pradesh.
  • Vidarbha alone generates 70 percent of Maharashtra’s electricity.
  • Vidarbha is rich with minerals as 70 percent is found in the region.
  • Vidarbha produces 70% of Maharashtra’s cotton.
  • Vidarbha has 80 percent of irrigation facility.
  • Vidarbha is blessed with 54 percent of forest resources.
  • Vidarbha provides soybean, cotton, pulses, tur, rice, oranges to Maharashtra in maximum quantity.
  • Vidarbha is assured rainfall region.
  • Tourism has good chances in Vidarbha and flourishing, too.
  • Vidarbha has five tiger projects out of six in Maharashtra.

In sum, Vidarbha would be a progressive and prosperous State if separated from Maharashtra, without an iota of doubt. The only factor that is keeping Vidarbha a backward region is lack of awareness of capability the people here have.

– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )