| |
| Related Links.... |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
| home >> about west bengal >> basic information |
|
| BASIC INFORMATION |
|
 |
| Location : |
| West Bengal is located at the center of the Eastern Region of India. It is strategically positioned with 3 international frontiers, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The state of West Bengal borders the states of Bihar, Orissa, Sikkim and Assam. It stretches for about 700 Km, from the Bay of Bengal in the South to the mighty Himalayas in the North. |
|
|
| Area : |
| 88752 sq. km (less than 3% of total area of India) |
|
| Population : |
| 80221171 (9% of total population of India) |
|
| Temperature : |
Summer - 24 degree Celsius to 40 degree Celsius;
Winter - 7 degree Celsius to 26 degree Celsius
Average temperature in March ranges from 28 degree Celcius to 32 degree Celsius. |
|
| Monsoon : |
| June-September |
|
| Rainfall : |
| 175 Cms (yearly average). |
|
| |
|
| West Bengal Snapshot |
|
| Economy |
| West Bengal is the third largest economy in the country after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The service sector is the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of the state, contributing 51% of the state domestic product compared to 27% from agriculture and 22% from industry. |
|
|
| Market |
| 1/10th of India's market is in West Bengal. There are 23 towns with a population of over 100,000. The percentage of population living below the poverty line has drastically reduced. A vast rural captive market is available in West Bengal. On an average, an amount of Rs.13100 crore is being spent by the rural people on purchase of industrial goods every year and this is increasing nearly @ 10% p.a. |
|
|
| Economic Growth |
| Industrial : |
As against the present growth rate of index of industrial production of 2.3% at the national level, the index of industrial production in West Bengal has been much higher at 4.6%. |
| State Domestic Products : |
During the year 2001- 2002, the growth of State Domestic Product of West Bengal is 7.8% as against 5.4% growth of gross domestic product of the country over this period. |
|
|
|
| Infrastructure |
|
| Power |
| Installed Capacity : |
7616 MW. |
| Generation : |
16770 MU. West Bengal is a power surplus state. It supplies power to its neighbouring states. It is the only state offering 40% power tariff concession in an ordered scale up to 6-years of production of an industrial unit. |
|
|
|
| Roads |
| Highways : |
 |
National Highways : 2377 Kms |
|
State Highways: 3418 Kms |
|
State Highways: Road (PWD) 12288 Kms |
|
(Zila Parishad): 31064 Kms |
|
(Municipal Road): 18632 Kms |
|
Railway Network: 3867 Route Kms |
|
|
|
|
| Communications |
| Telecom : |
Kolkata ranked third interms of mobile subscription. The state has about 17.22 million mobile subscribers in 2007-08. VSNL has its international gateway and earth station in and around Kolkata. Mobile cellular services and email services are available from a host of operators. International connectivity is provided through VSNL and five STPI earth stations, viz. Kolkata, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Haldia, and Siliguri. |
|
|
| Ports |
| Airports : |
There are two International Airports at Kolkata and Bagdogra. |
| Seaports : |
There are two seaports, Kolkata and Haldia. |
|
|
|
|
| Growth Centres |
| There are 12 Growth Centres for medium and large scale industries, exclusive growth centres for Electronics Industries, Software Technology Park at Salt Lake, Export Processing Industrial Park at Durgapur and Export Processing Zone at Falta. |
|
|
|
| Major Industries |
| Chemicals, Cotton Textiles, Coal, Iron & Steel Products, Heavy & Light Engineering products, Leather & Footwear, Papers, Tea, Jute products, Breweries, Paper, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, Electrical & Electronics, Plastics, Software and lnfotech, Locomotives, Vegetable Oils, Gems & Jewellery, Leather & Leather products, Poultry products. |
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
