| Delhi
Geographical Area : 1483
Population in 2001 : 1 38 50 507
Estimated population in 2025 : 2 72 63 000
Provisional Numbers in Census 2011
NCT of Delhi population as percentage of India : 1.38%
Population in 2011 : 1 67 53 235
Males 89 76 410
Females 77 76 825
Sex ratio : 866
Under 6 Sex ratio : 866
Number of Districts : 9
Number of habitated villages : 158
Capital
Delhi
Principal Languages
Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu & English
History and Geography
Delhi finds prominent reference right from the times of the epic
Mahabharata. Its control passed from one ruler/dynasty to another,
beginning with the Mauryas, Pallavas, Guptas of Central India, and
then to the Turk and Afghan during the 13th to 15th centuries, and
finally to the Mughals in the 16th century. In the latter half of
the 18th century and early 19th century, the British rule was established
in Delhi. In 1911, Delhi became the centre of all activities after
the capital was shifted from Kolkata. It was made a Union Territory
in 1956. Lying in the northern part of the country, Delhi is surrounded
by Haryana on all sides except the east, where it borders with Uttar
Pradesh. The 69th Constitutional amendment is a milestone in Delhi's
history, as it got a Legislative Assembly with the enactment of
the National Capital Territory Act, 1991.
Agriculture
The principal food crops are wheat, bajra, jowar, gram and maize.
However, emphasis has now shifted from food crops to vegetables
and fruit crops, dairy, poultry-farming, floriculture, etc., as
these are more remunerative than food crops in the territory.
Industry
Delhi is not only the largest commercial centre in northern India,
but also the largest centre of small industries. These are manufacturing
a wide variety of items like television, tape recorders, light engineering
machines and automobile parts, sports goods, bicycles and PVC goods
including footwear textiles, fertilizers, medicines, hosiery, leather
goods, software, etc.
Delhi’s new millennium industrial policy, emphasizes setting up
of high-tech and sophisticated industries in electronics, telecommunications,
software industries, IT enabling services, etc. The industries,
which are non-polluting and encourage high value addition and depend
largely on skilled manpower, are being promoted. DSIDC is setting
up Training Institute for Gems and Jewellery and Assaying and Hallmarking
Centre at Okhla in the building of Hitech Vocational Centre.
For the purpose of relocating industrial units functioning in residential
nonconforming areas, the Government of NCT of Delhi took possession
of 1900 acres of land at village Bawana, Holambi Kalan and Holambi
Khurd for developing new industrial estates. Bawana Industrial area
developed by DSIDC is the largest in Asia and is spred over 1900
acres of land. At Narela 900 plots have been developed and allotted
and another 600 plots are being developed. Work of construction
of 378 flatted factories at Jhilmil Industrial Area for relocation
of smaller units has been completed. 450 acres of land have been
taken for development at the Bhorgaarh industrial estates. In addition
to the above, 652 hectares of land is being acquired for development
into a huge industrial area in Kanjhawala/Kerala.
Irrigation and Power
Due to fast urbanisation of the rural areas of Delhi, cultivable
command area under irrigation is getting reduced day by day. Two
schemes, namely, "Keshopur Effluent Irrigation Scheme Phase-III"
and "Improvement and Extension of Effluent Irrigation System
from Coronation Treatment Plant" are under execution. Irrigation
of about 350 hectares with state tube-wells and 1,376 hectares from
effluent water is being provided in the rural area of NCT of Delhi.
In addition about 4,900 hectares of land is being irrigated from
western Yamuna Canal network.
The firm availability of power for Delhi from its own generating
units at Rajghat Power Houses, IP Station and Gas Turbines including
Badarpur Thermal Station is of the order of 850-900 MW. The remaining
power is drawn from Northern Regional Grid. Delhi has also envisaged
a number of generating projects to be taken up. Pragati Combined
Cycle Power Project has been established at Indraprastha Estate.
A 330 MW Pragati Power Project under construction is scheduled to
be commissioned soon. The test run for its first phase of 100 MW
has already started. The work of newly planned 330 MW gas based
power plant under Pragati-II and 1000 MW power plant planned at
Bawana is going on. Existing coal-based Indraprastha plant is being
replaced by 1000 MW gas based plant.
To streamline the distribution of power, DVB has been privatised
and Delhi is now served by the two of the best electric utilities
in India, BSES and Tata Power (NDPL).
Transport
Delhi is well connected by roads, rail and air with all parts of
India. It has three airports-Indira Gandhi International Airport
for the international flights, Palam Airport for domestic air services
and Safdarjung Airport for training purposes. It has three important
railway stations - Delhi Junction, New Delhi Railway Station and
Nizamuddin Railway Station. Delhi has three inter-state bus terminals
at Kashmeri Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar.
Keeping in view the rising vehicular pollution and chaotic traffic
condition in the city of Delhi, it has been decided to start Mass
Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in Delhi. The Project is under implementation
and is uses the state-of-the-art modern technology. The metro rail
project runs in Delhi. Now three metro corridors exist in phase-1
of Delhi Metro comprising of three corridors of total length of
65.1 Km have been completed and operational in record time with
full commissioning of line from Shahdara to Rithala and Vishwa Vidyalaya
to Central Secretariat. The third line from Barakambha road to Dwarka
is also running to provide better connectivity to the commuters
from NCR region.
Festivals
Being a cosmopolitan city, all major festivals of India are celebrated
here. Moreover, some tourism festivals have become regular annual
events of Delhi. Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation
organises Roshnara Festival, Shalimar Festival, Qutab Festival,
Winter Carnival, Garden Tourism Festival, Jahane-Khusrao Festival
and Mango Festival every year.
Tourist Places
Important tourist places are Lal Quila (Red Fort), Jama Masjid,
Qutab Minar, India Gate, Laxmi Narian Mandir (Birla Mandir), Humayun’s
tomb, Lotus Temple, etc. Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development
Corporation Limited conducts city sight-seeing and excursion tours.
The Corporation has also introduced adventure tourism activities
such as para-sailing, rock-climbing and boating in Delhi. The Corporation
has also developed DELHI HAAT, where beverages and food items of
different states are available at one place. More such HAATs are
planned in different parts of Delhi. The Corporation is also running
Coffee Homes in different parts of Delhi. The "Garden of five
Senses" has also been opened in the South District of Delhi,
which attracts a lot of tourists visiting Delhi.
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