Sonbhadra
Encyclopedia
Sonbhadra or Sonebhadra (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: सोनभद्र ज़िला, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

: سون بھدر ضلع) is the 2nd largest district
Districts of Uttar Pradesh
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh borders with Nepal and the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Himalayas lies in the north of the state and the Deccan Plateau is at the south...

 of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The district has an area of 6788 km² and a population of 1,463,468 (2001 census), with a population density of 216 persons per km². It lies in the extreme southeast of the state, and is bounded by Mirzapur District
Mirzapur District
Mirzapur district is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district is bounded on the north by Sant Ravidas Nagar and Varanasi districts, on the east by Chandauli district, on the south by Sonbhadra district and on the norhwest by Allahabad district. The district...

 to the northwest, Chandoli District to the north, Kaimur
Kaimur District
Kaimur district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district headquarters are located at Bhabua. The district occupies an area of 3363 km² and has a population of 1,284,575 ....

 and Rohtas
Rohtas district
Rohtas district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India.The Rohtas district is a part of Patna Division, and it has an area of 3850 km² , a population of 2,448,762 , and a population density of 636 persons per km²...

 districts of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

 state to the northeast, Garhwa district
Garhwa District
Garhwa district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Garhwa town is the administrative headquarters of this district...

 of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

 state to the east, Koriya
Koriya District
Koriya district, also commonly spelled as Korea district, is a district in the north-western part of the Chhattisgarh state in Central India. The administrative headquarter of the district is Baikunthpur.-History:...

 and Surguja
Surguja District
Surguja District is a district in the northern part of the state of Chattisgarh in India. The district headquarter is Ambikapur.The district borders on the states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and overlaps the southeastern part of the Vindhyachal-Baghelkhand region of peninsular...

 districts of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....

 state to the south, and Singrauli district
Singrauli District
Singrauli district is one of the districts in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.-History:Singrauli district came in to existence on 24 May 2008, with its headquarters at Waidhan...

 of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 state to the west. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj
Robertsganj
Robertsganj is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the southeastern corner of the state. Robertsganj is the administrative headquarters of Sonbhadra District.- Geography :Robertsganj is located at...

. It is the only district in India which borders four states namely Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Bihar. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor
Red corridor
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency...

.

Geography

The Sone River flows through the district from east to west and its tributary the Rihand River
Rihand River
The Rihand River is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.-Course:...

, which rises to the south in the highlands of Surguja district
Surguja District
Surguja District is a district in the northern part of the state of Chattisgarh in India. The district headquarter is Ambikapur.The district borders on the states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, and overlaps the southeastern part of the Vindhyachal-Baghelkhand region of peninsular...

 of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....

, flows north to join the Son in the center of the district. Sonbhadra is located in the south-eastern ranges of the Vindhyachal
Vindhyachal
Vindhyachal is a town in Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city is a Hindu pilgrimage site having the temple of Vindhyavasini, where according to mythology a part of Sati Born in Nand Yadav Family as sister of Lord Krishna. The river Ganges flows through this city...

 mountain.The Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, a reservoir on the Rihand, lies partly in the district and partly in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

. The district has historic, cultural, and ecological affinities with the Bagelkhand
Bagelkhand
Bagelkhand or Baghelkhand, is a region in central India, in northeastern Madhya Pradesh state. It includes the Madhya Pradesh districts of Anuppur, Rewa, Satna, Shadol, Sidhi, and Umaria....

 region. Obra
Obra
Obra is a river in west Poland, a tributary of the Warta river , with a length of 164 kilometres and the basin area of 2,758 km2. The river is popular with canoe and kayak enthusiasts and an established canoe trail exists....

 and NTPC Rihand are the power projects located in this city. Robertsganj
Robertsganj
Robertsganj is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the southeastern corner of the state. Robertsganj is the administrative headquarters of Sonbhadra District.- Geography :Robertsganj is located at...

 is the main town. Almost 100 km from Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

, the cultural centre of Indian epitome of Vedic civilsation, holds a prime importance as the district headquarter.

Climate

Sonbhadra has a relatively subtropical climate with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. The average temperature is 32°C–42°C in the summer and 2°C–15°C in the winter. The weather is pleasant in rainy season from July to October.

Economy

The southern region of Sonbhadra District is referred as the "Energy Capital of India"; this region has many electrical power stations around Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
Govind Vallabh Pant Sagar is a man made lake situated in southern region of Sonebhadra named after Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Chief minister of United Provinces present day Uttar Pradesh was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political...

. NTPC
NTPC
NTPC may refer to:* Nam Theun 2 Power Company* National Thermal Power Corporation, in India* Northwest Territories Power Corporation...

 (a leading power generation company in India) has three coal-based thermal power plants at Shaktinagar
Shaktinagar
Shaktinagar is a census town in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. There is a coal based thermal power plant set up by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited .- Demographics :...

 (India's first NTPC
NTPC
NTPC may refer to:* Nam Theun 2 Power Company* National Thermal Power Corporation, in India* Northwest Territories Power Corporation...

), Vindhyanagar (largest capacity in India, 3260 MW) and Bijpur
Bijpur
Bijpur is a census town in Sonbhadra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics: India census, Bijpur had a population of 9232. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bijpur has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male...

 (Rihandnagar
Rihandnagar
Rihand nagar is a small town, named after the Rihand River, a tributary of the Son River. It is located on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in India...

). Other power stations are Anpara
Anpara
Anpara is a town in Sonebhadra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It hosts a thermal power station with a total installed capacity of power generation of 1630MW.It is built aside Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Lake and the Rihand River The power project provides accommodation and other...

 (UPRVUNL), Obra
Obra
Obra is a river in west Poland, a tributary of the Warta river , with a length of 164 kilometres and the basin area of 2,758 km2. The river is popular with canoe and kayak enthusiasts and an established canoe trail exists....

 (UPRVUNL), Renusagar
Renusagar
Renusagar is a town situated in the south of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Renusagar is the home of Renupower, a 700 MW captive power plant which supplies electricity to Hindalco Industries' operations in Renukoot...

 (Hindalco Pipri
Pipri
Pipri is a town and a nagar panchayat in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Pipri is located at . It has an average elevation of 210 metres .-Demographics:...

-Hydro(UPRVUNL). NCL (a branch of Coal India Ltd.) has its headquarters and many coal mines in this region. Hindalco has a major aluminium plant at Renukut.

This region became an industrial heaven from an area of forest and hills. Some of the hills were having limestone and lot of them were having coal. There were some small rivers running through the area and the major was the Son
Son River
Son River of central India is the largest of the Ganges' southern tributaries. A British 1850s diary shows that the river was written in English as Soane.-Course:...

.

Owing to the limestone hills, initially one cement factory was established at Churk in 1956. Later another cement factory started at Dala in 1971 and ancillary unit of Dala got started at Chunar in 1980. The cement factories became the foundation on which other industries were built. A big dam constructed at Pipri in 1961, named Rihand Dam. The dam produced 300 MW of electricity. Another small dam was constructed at Obra in 1968, 40 km from Rihand dam which generated 99 MW of electricity.

The Birla group then set up an aluminum plant at Renukut, which is one of the biggest aluminum plant of Hindalco. Later, the Birla group set up its own power plant at Renusagar in 1967. This plant has the current capacity of 887.2 MW and supplies the power to Hindalco. The Birlas also started a company in Renukut called HiTech Carbon. Another industrial group initiated a company in Renukut named Kanoria Chemicals, which produces chemicals and later it started own power plant at Renukoot in 1998 which generates 50 MW of electricity.

A big thermal power plant construction was started at Obra in 1967 with support from Russian engineers and was successfully completed in 1971. This had a capacity to produce 1550 MW of electricity.Another power plant was initiated at Anpara in 1980. It produces 1630 MW of electricity and has proposed to extend the capacity to 2630 MW. The thermal power plant that NTPC started in Shaktinagar
Shaktinagar
Shaktinagar is a census town in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. There is a coal based thermal power plant set up by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited .- Demographics :...

, generates 2000 MW. The plant at Bijpur generates 2000 MW.

Three cement factories, one of the biggest aluminum plants, a carbon plant, a chemical factory and an energy hub to India, which generates 11000 MW with plans to reach 20000 MW. The whole country is benefiting from this region, which was once full of forests and hills, which seemed like infertile land. Last but not least, Geological Survey of India

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India looking after the ongoing process of decentralization and local governance in the States....

 named Sonbhadra one of the country's 250 most backward districts
Poverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...

 (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Industry timeline

  • 1956 : Churk Cement Factory, 800 T/day.
  • 1961 : Rihand Dam, Pipri, 300 MW of electricity, Reservoir for power plants.
  • 1962 : Hindalco Aluminium Plant, Renukoot, Alumina refining - 114,5000 TPA, Aluminium metal - 424,000 TPA.
  • 1965 : Kanoria Chemicals, Renukoot, Acetaldehyde - 10000 TPA, Formaldehyde - 75000 TPA, Lindane - 875 TPA, Hexamine - 4000 TPA, Industrial Alcohol - 225 million litters/annum, Aluminium Chloride - 6875 TPA, Ethyl Acetate - 3300 TPA, Acetic Acid - 6000 TPA, Commercial Hydrogen.
  • 1967 : Renusagar Power Plant (Hindalco), 887.2 MW of electricity.
  • 1968 : Obra Dam, 99 MW of electricity, Reservoir for power plant.
  • 1971 : Dala Cement Factory, 3600 T/day.
  • 1971 : Obra Thermal Power Plant, UPSEB, 1550 MW of electricity.
  • 1980 : Chunar Cement Factory, Ancillary unit of Dala Cement Factory.
  • 1980 : Anpara Thermal Power Plant, UPSEB, 1630 MW of electricity.
  • 1983 : B.P. Construction Company, Anpara, Sonebhadra
  • 1984 : Singrauli Thermal Power Plant NTPC, Shaktinagar
    Shaktinagar
    Shaktinagar is a census town in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. There is a coal based thermal power plant set up by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited .- Demographics :...

    , 2000 MW of electricity.
  • 1988 : Hi -Tech Carbon, Renukoot, Carbon Black - 1,60,000 MT/annum.
  • 1989 : Rihand Thermal Power Plant, NTPC, Bijpur, 2000 MW of electricity.
  • 1990 : Finding of Gold Mine in Hills, Mirchadhuri.
  • 1998 : Kanoria Chemicals Power Plant, Renukoot, 50 MW of electricity.
  • Other: One village is there named Dibulganj which is one of the largest gram panchyat of India.

By Air

Mayurpur Airport
Mayurpur Airport
Mayurpur Airport is situated at Mayurpur in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It serves many power plants of NTPC, UPRVUNL and others situated on the banks of Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar. It also serves nearby towns, NCL , many industries and Robertsganj the district...

 at Myorpur a private airport used by chartered and private planes.
Varanasi International Airport
Varanasi Airport
Varanasi Airport also known as Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport is a public airport located northwest of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Varanasi Airport was officially renamed as Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in October 2005....

 in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

.

By Train

Mirzapur
Mirzapur
Mirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry...

 Railway Station.
Robertsganj
Robertsganj
Robertsganj is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the southeastern corner of the state. Robertsganj is the administrative headquarters of Sonbhadra District.- Geography :Robertsganj is located at...

 Railway Station.
Chopan
Chopan
Chopan is a town and a nagar panchayat in Sonbhadra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Geography:Chopan is located at . It has an average elevation of 159 metres ....

 Railway station.
Renukoot
Renukoot
Renukoot is a town and a nagar panchayat in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Renukoot is located at . It has an average elevation of 283 metres...

 Railway station near RIHAND DAM.
Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

 Railway station.

By Road

Robertsganj,Headquarter of Sonbhadra is located about 90 km from the city of Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

, which is also the nearest airport. Flights are available to all major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Agra, Bangalore, Chennai, Patna, Khajuraho, Hyderabad, Gaya etc.International connections are Bangkok, Colombo, Hong Kong, Macca and Kathmandu. Robertsganj is well connected to Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi and Mirzapur by road. Buses are available at all hours of the day from Varanasi and it normally takes 2½ hours to cover the distance. The city is connected by rail to Delhi, Allahabad, Ranchi and Patna. Some notable trains passing through the town are Muri express (Jammu Tawi - Delhi - Tata Nagar), Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express/12873(Hatia - Kanpur - Delhi), Triveni Express (Bareilly - Lucknow - Shaktinagar) and Shaktipunj Express/11448(Howrah-Bokaro - Chopan- jabalpur).Intercity Express (shaktinagar - Chopan-Varanasi).
The highway connecting Varanasi and Waidhan passes through the city. Though this is not a national highway it is a very busy road because of the towns Renukot, Anpara, Shaktinagar which are sufficiently commercialized areas. National Thermal Power corporation is in Shaktinagar and also National Coalfield different projects like Singrauli, khadia, Jayant, Dudhichua, amlori, Kakri etc. These areas have several major coal mines which cater a big part of the coal need of the state.churk a nearby town is situated around 10 km, where jaypee group is establishing a thermal power project. One of the main reasons this road is always busy is due to daily transport of around 1000 trucks of grits and sand.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census
2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...

  has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...

 of 1,862,612 , roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 or the US state of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. This gives it a ranking of 254th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). The district has a population density of 274 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...

 over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.27 %. Sonbhadra has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 of 913 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...

 for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...

 of 66.18 %.

Media

  • Gaon Giraw-Gaon Giraw is a only Hindi Daily of the District, published from Robertsganj
    Robertsganj
    Robertsganj is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the southeastern corner of the state. Robertsganj is the administrative headquarters of Sonbhadra District.- Geography :Robertsganj is located at...

    .

External links

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