The word Punjab originate from two Persian words panj - five, āb - water which means land of five waters Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej
During 1849 Punjab Kingdom fell to the troops of British East India Company and became province of British India. This region played great role in Indian nationalist movement, where one of the significant event was Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
After our Independence Punjab region got split between India and Pakistan, later on 1st November 1966 it got divided again on linguistic lines into two states Punjab and Haryana
Key Facts
Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab however Ludhiana is the largest city of Punjab
Punjab is home to India's first planned city
Punjab is also called as Granary of India
The state is known for Wagah-Attari border ceremony
Nearly 84% land of Punjab is under cultivation which makes it the India's largest agricultural state
Green revolution project was implemented in Punjab in late 1960's
Indus Valley civilisation site Rupar is present in Rupnagar district of Punjab
Bhangra is the most famous dance of Punjab
Major Concerns
Decreasing water table
Intensive agriculture and practice of mono cropping
Water pollution caused by Industrial waste
Increasing energy demand for pumping of water in agriculture sector
Gap in energy supply and demand
Highly concentrated urban population in Ludhiana, Patiala, Amristar and Jalandhar causing challenges in waste disposal and high traffic in roads
Measures can be taken
Solutions like mass water storage, regulation of groundwater pumping & diversion of river streams for agricultural purposes helps to improve water table
Implementation of energy efficient solutions like CFL's and LED lights, Transition to renewable resources, enhanced grid access and optimisation of power consumption helps to reduce gap in energy supply and demand
Encouraging green public transportation, Water recycling & Public-Private partnerships in waste disposal helps to improve environment quality in urban settlements
Installation of environment monitoring solutions in river streams near to industries, regular assessment by government officials & suggestion of strategies on waste minimisation techniques helps to solve industrial water pollution
Leadership is an action, not a position - Donald McGannon
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