Banka, Bihar
Encyclopedia
Banka is a city and a municipality
in Banka district
in the state of Bihar
, India
. The Hindi meaning of Banka is brave. Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts
of Bihar
in India
. The district, part of Bhagalpur Division
, has its headquarters at Banka town. The district occupies an area
of 3018 km² and has a population
of 1,608,773 (as of 2001). Hindus 1,409,352, Muslims 190,051 (11.81%).
of Bihar
in India
. The district, part of Bhagalpur Division
, has its headquarters at Banka town. Banka is located at 24.88°N 86.92°E. It has an average elevation of 79 metres (259 feet).
Guria, Babutola, Nayatola, Karharia, Vijaynagar, Jagatpur are among the most popular colonies in this town. Kajhiya & Narayanpur is also famous village in this District. Tara Mandir is most popular temple in this District. The water of Tara Mandir is very cool and so pure with sweet test. There are Colleges named P.B.S.College, Mahila College and most famous High school named RMK Inter School (named after Rani Mahkam Kumari) in this town. This town is situated between two rivers "Chandan" and "Orhani".
The town acts as the border of Bihar and Jharkhand state.
The famous SHRAVANI MELA route passes from this district. This route goes to Babadham. It is located in south-eastern Bihar, four miles from Jasidih railway station on the main line of the Eastern Railway from Howrah to Delhi. There is a small railway branch line from Jasidih to Babadham. The
railway station at Babadham is called Baidyanath Dham. There are direct train link up to Banka from State capital.
HQ :- Banka
Area :- 3,019 km2.
Population :- Total 12,92,504 Rural
12,47,869 Urban
Sub Divisions :- Banka
Blocks :- Banka, Rajoun, Amarpur, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Bounsi, Shambhuganj, Barahat, Belhar, Chandan, Phulidumar.
Agriculture :- Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Lentil.
Industry :- China clay
Rivers :- Chandan, Oodhni, Jamua
Babadham stands near the G.T. Road connecting Calcutta (Kolkata) with Delhi. From the G.T. Road, you can take a turn to the state road at Bagodar or at Dumri. Devotees coming down from Kolkata or other parts of West Bengal can take the route via Jamtara. In the North-East Dumka, Rajmahal and Banka; in the North-West Munger; in the West Hazaribag and in the South Giridih district border the region.
The nearby Airports are in - Ranchi, Gaya, Patna and Kolkata. The nearest Railway Station is in Banka itself. Approximate journey time is 1.5 hrs from Bhagalpur or from Jasidih or Deoghar (Babadham) by bus.
, Banka had a population of 35,416. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Banka has an average literacy rate of 55%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 61% of the males and 39% of females literate. 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
A famous durga temple is in Karhariya, north part of Banka. There is a historical mountain named "Mandaar". This mountain was used as a MATHANI at the time of Samudra-Manthan. In the centre of this town there are two high schools: One for boys named R. M. K. High School and second is Girls High School. There are a district court and registry court in the heart of the town. Kakwara is the famous village in Banka
Banka is a district with full of greenery and forests. Katoriya, Suiya and chandan blocks are mostly covered by forests. Besides, district is known for its rich tribal culture. Banka is also famous for its handicrafts and hand looms. Home made Khadi and silk are also popular in the whole country.
Bhitia
(the village with full of forest)is only 20 km far from the district headquarters.
There is a mountain which is made of single piece stone height about 500 meter known as Mandar Parbat. At the top two temples are made one is Narshimha (one of the incarnation of god Vishnu ) Temple and other is Digamber Jain Tirthanakar'. There is a famous old Nationalistic university established by then freedom fighters to impart pure Indian Education in Indian style in tune with Gujrat Vidyapith,Kashi Vidyapith,Bihar Vidyapith,co founded by social worker Sri Ramani Mohan Singh of Narayanpur and Sri Anand Shankar Madhvan known as Mandar Vidyapith' established on the land provided by the late Shri Harivallav Narayan Singh a famous social reformer, a freedom fighter and a land lord of village Azadnagar, Sabalpur vide a registered settlement deed no. 2002/1945. The first president of the Indian Republic Desratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the founder President and "Bihar Bibhuti" late Dr. Anugraha Narayan Singh was the first working President of the reputed Mandar Vidyapith . A Gandhian, south Indian, Hindi lover literature Anand Shankar Madhavan was the first Acharya and Kulpati(Chancellor) of the Mandar Vidyapith. Post Independence, the gandhian dream of Hindi University could not work out so ultimately in 1993 an English Medium School "Adwait Mission" was started by one of Madhvan's Anandmargi disciple Mr Aditya and is being run inside the campus of old Mandar Vidyapeeth. In Very short period, this has been able to establish itself as one of the best residential schools in this part of south Bihar.
, Ex Rajyasabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Singh,ex MP Manorama Singh, Ex MLA Jai Prakash Mishra etc. created a new heights as far as the district congress is concerned. Late Shri Digvijay Singh (14 November 1955 – 24 June 2010) was an Indian politician from the state of Bihar and was an Independent Member of the Parliament of India representing Banka in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. He died on 24 June 2010 in London after suffering a Brain Hemorrhage.
Digvijay Singh served as a Member of the Parliament of India five times – three times in the Lok Sabha (1998, 1999, 2009) and two times in the Rajya Sabha (1990, 2004). He served as Union Minister of State in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government (1999–2004) and Chandrashekhar Government (1990–1991). He was also a successful sports administrator, having served as President of the National Rifle Association of India since 1999. He was one of the three(George fernandes,Digvijay singh, and Nitish kumar) founder member samta party. Which later combined with janta party and Janta dal united(jdu) was formed. Now Putul Singh is the member of parliament from this constituency.
After independence,Banka is the center point of veteran politicians.Veteran freedom fighter Sri Kirti Narayan Singh of Narayanpur village was he first congress president of BhagalPur District Congress.Sri Navpatrika Prasad Singh,again from Narayanpur was the next District congress president.Veteran freedom fighter Sri Ramani Prasad Singh of Narayanpur was the founder congress president of Banka at that point of time.Smt. Bindhyavasini Devi,MA (Hindi) from Shantiniketan and daughter of then Banka Congress President was the first female MLA from Banka from 1957 to 1967.After this many veterans tried and represented this constituency in parliament. This constituency was the laboratory of socialism. Sri Madhu Limaye represented the constituency two times. Mr George Fernandes and Sri Raj Narayan were also contesting the parliamentary election from this constituency.
Population Total 12,92,504 Rural 12,47,869 Urban 44,635
SC Population Total 1,50,113 Rural 1,45,560 Urban 4,553
ST Population Total 63,457 Rural 63,392 Urban 65
Sub Divisions Banka.
Blocks:
(1)Banka,
(2)Amarpur
(3)Shambhuganj
(4)Belhar
(5)Phulidumar
(6)Katoria
(7)Chandan
(8)Baunsi
(9)Barahat
(10)Dhoraiya and
(11)Rajoun.
Out of 11 Blocks 9 are Naxal affected.
Village:- Jhirwa, Kakwara, Rajon, Amarpur, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Bausi, Shambhuganj, Pakaria, Pararia, Barahat, Belhar, Chandan, Samukhia More, Balarpur,Saruka,Loudhia and Lakhpura is the famous villages of banka district.
Economy:-
Banka, unfortunately, has been ranked 3rd least developed district in India after Kalahandi and Raygadha (orissa). The main reason of Banka being declared a backward district could be less urban population.
Banka, as a whole, is an agrerial economy. Banka is considered as RICE BOWL of Bihar. Banka has a very advanced system of Agro product marketing which is very complex yet very simple. The district has three-four major Rice Production and transaction center. The most famous are VIJAYHAT (successfully in existence for last forty years) and Rajoun. Apart from these two, there are Punsia, Katiya, etc. which is small in size (in volume). Most advanced is VIJAYHAT, which in the last 40 years of its existence has devised very strong form of functioning. it has many rice mill (small one) producing high quality USNA(Parmal) rice very popular among locals. The biggest buyers are from Bhagalpur, Kolkata, Purnia, Kanpur, Delhi, Dumka etc. Rajoun has emerged as very good competitor though all the local hat function with business ethics.
Apart from rice, Amarpur belt is famous for sugar cane and Gud mill. They produce world class gud rich in iron and minerals. THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR THESE VILLAGE INDUSTRY IS LACK OF BRANDING. All of them can be world class and have their own brandname e.g. Vijayhat Rice, Amarpur Gud like Mawana suger or Dhampur Sugar which are location based name. But there is lack of awareness and business owner don't give heed to this side of business. they are happy doing business in crude form. These are the reason despite the very large volume their earning are less.
Timber Industry:
Once very dynamic and vibrant industry were totally out of business during RJD regime. again gain momentum in recent years. There are not many saw Mill left and potential are abundant. But due to govt policy, its very difficult to flourish. Source of raw material is also a problem. Very much dependent on local source. Lack of awareness about foreign and cheap source like Malaysia and NewZealand.
Modern Industry:-
Courtesy to late Digvijay singh, Banka has started to figure out as a potential destination for large investment on the national map. A thermal power project promoted by ABHIJIT INDUSTRIES, KOLKATA, is coming up in Bounsi, Banka. Other Sugarcane related industry is coming up in Amarpur.
Green Energy Solutions,Bangalore is another Renewable Energy company co-founded and promoted by a son-of-soil Engineer, Scientist, village lover and Inventor from Narayanpur(Barahat). Through a unique patented technology of Rural Portable Generators,all 6.5 lac Indian villages can be electrified immediately by using available Bullocks or other drought animals as source of power generation. Rural Energy problem solved for good and Rural energy self-reliance looks in sight. A Generator Production Plant is being setup near Barahat.
The young Turks of Banka district, highly educated and dreamer are full of energy and want to do something for their land of birth. During an interview Mr. Singh (from Gurudwar, Banka ) who is pass out of prestigious and one of the top MBA SCHOOL in India, having good industry exposure and is planning to set up unconventional source based power plant in his native village Gurudwar, Vijayhat. He has also plan for modernizing his family business and is confident of a turnover of 100 crore by 2014-15. His idea of reform is to provide employment to maximum, and education, health and basic amenities to village folks. Other dreamer Akshay from Bounsi wants to set up food processing industry. He feels that if managed properly, the local agrarian products can turn Banka into a land of opportunities.
There are many more dreamer like him in this one of the most backward district in India who are raring to go and vow to turn it into top 10.
Location Advantage:-
Banka is strategically located very near to the source of Raw material for heavy industries. Its proximity to Jharkhand (bordering Deoghar, Dumka, Godda) and perennial river like Chandan makes it a very strong contender for coal based Power Plant investment and other heavy Industry.
A railway line connecting existing BHAGALPUR-BOUNSI line to Rampurhat, which is well connected to Howrah, is coming up which will be a boon for investment due to proximity to port and reach to domestic market and a line connecting Sultanganj to Jasidih through Banka is also being developed.
Tourism Industry:-
Gradually turning in to a religious tourism hotspot for Hindu/Jain. Old MANDAR PARVAT (also known as Mandarachar Parvat in Puraan) is very mystic and has many place to visit. A jain temple at the summit in close proximity to a Vishnu temple is a sign of religious tolerance. An initiative of celebrating MANDAR MAHOTSAV was taken by Govt. of India (inaugrated by Late Digvijay Singh and closing ceremony attended by the Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhavat) but could not be continued later. Though every year in January Bounsi Mela is organised which depicts the vibrant village life of Mandar region. A Rath Yatra procession of Lord Madhusudan is taken out every year the same day Puri Rath Yatra procession is taken out. 14th century great saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started this Rath yatra during his visit to this holy land of Mandar.
Belhar (srinagar)
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Banka district
Banka District
Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar in India.-History:Banka is the homeland of great revolutionary Satish Prasad Jha, one of seven martyrs who hoisted the flag of India at the Secretariat building near Patna on 11 August 1942. Jha was born in Khadihara near Dhakamod, Banka...
in the state 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....
, 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 Hindi meaning of Banka is brave. Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts
Districts of Bihar
Bihar, a state of India, has currently thirty-eight administrative districts.A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a district magistrate or a deputy commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service...
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....
in 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, part of Bhagalpur Division
Bhagalpur Division
Bhagalpur division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India, with Bhagalpur as the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of Bhagalpur District, and Banka District.-See also:...
, has its headquarters at Banka town. The district occupies an area
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
of 3018 km² and has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 1,608,773 (as of 2001). Hindus 1,409,352, Muslims 190,051 (11.81%).
Geography
Banka is one of the thirty-eight districtsDistricts of Bihar
Bihar, a state of India, has currently thirty-eight administrative districts.A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a district magistrate or a deputy commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service...
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....
in 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, part of Bhagalpur Division
Bhagalpur Division
Bhagalpur division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India, with Bhagalpur as the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of Bhagalpur District, and Banka District.-See also:...
, has its headquarters at Banka town. Banka is located at 24.88°N 86.92°E. It has an average elevation of 79 metres (259 feet).
Guria, Babutola, Nayatola, Karharia, Vijaynagar, Jagatpur are among the most popular colonies in this town. Kajhiya & Narayanpur is also famous village in this District. Tara Mandir is most popular temple in this District. The water of Tara Mandir is very cool and so pure with sweet test. There are Colleges named P.B.S.College, Mahila College and most famous High school named RMK Inter School (named after Rani Mahkam Kumari) in this town. This town is situated between two rivers "Chandan" and "Orhani".
The town acts as the border of Bihar and Jharkhand state.
The famous SHRAVANI MELA route passes from this district. This route goes to Babadham. It is located in south-eastern Bihar, four miles from Jasidih railway station on the main line of the Eastern Railway from Howrah to Delhi. There is a small railway branch line from Jasidih to Babadham. The
railway station at Babadham is called Baidyanath Dham. There are direct train link up to Banka from State capital.
HQ :- Banka
Area :- 3,019 km2.
Population :- Total 12,92,504 Rural
12,47,869 Urban
Sub Divisions :- Banka
Blocks :- Banka, Rajoun, Amarpur, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Bounsi, Shambhuganj, Barahat, Belhar, Chandan, Phulidumar.
Agriculture :- Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Lentil.
Industry :- China clay
Rivers :- Chandan, Oodhni, Jamua
Babadham stands near the G.T. Road connecting Calcutta (Kolkata) with Delhi. From the G.T. Road, you can take a turn to the state road at Bagodar or at Dumri. Devotees coming down from Kolkata or other parts of West Bengal can take the route via Jamtara. In the North-East Dumka, Rajmahal and Banka; in the North-West Munger; in the West Hazaribag and in the South Giridih district border the region.
The nearby Airports are in - Ranchi, Gaya, Patna and Kolkata. The nearest Railway Station is in Banka itself. Approximate journey time is 1.5 hrs from Bhagalpur or from Jasidih or Deoghar (Babadham) by bus.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Banka had a population of 35,416. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Banka has an average literacy rate of 55%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 61% of the males and 39% of females literate. 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
A famous durga temple is in Karhariya, north part of Banka. There is a historical mountain named "Mandaar". This mountain was used as a MATHANI at the time of Samudra-Manthan. In the centre of this town there are two high schools: One for boys named R. M. K. High School and second is Girls High School. There are a district court and registry court in the heart of the town. Kakwara is the famous village in Banka
Banka is a district with full of greenery and forests. Katoriya, Suiya and chandan blocks are mostly covered by forests. Besides, district is known for its rich tribal culture. Banka is also famous for its handicrafts and hand looms. Home made Khadi and silk are also popular in the whole country.
Bhitia
Bhitia
Bhitiais a village 20 km far from district headquarter Banka in Bihar. It is full of greenery and famous for its beautiful hills. The village has a big talab which attracts huge number of immigrant birds.It is said that in ancient times once veteran writer Rahul Sankrityayan visited this village....
(the village with full of forest)is only 20 km far from the district headquarters.
There is a mountain which is made of single piece stone height about 500 meter known as Mandar Parbat. At the top two temples are made one is Narshimha (one of the incarnation of god Vishnu ) Temple and other is Digamber Jain Tirthanakar'. There is a famous old Nationalistic university established by then freedom fighters to impart pure Indian Education in Indian style in tune with Gujrat Vidyapith,Kashi Vidyapith,Bihar Vidyapith,co founded by social worker Sri Ramani Mohan Singh of Narayanpur and Sri Anand Shankar Madhvan known as Mandar Vidyapith' established on the land provided by the late Shri Harivallav Narayan Singh a famous social reformer, a freedom fighter and a land lord of village Azadnagar, Sabalpur vide a registered settlement deed no. 2002/1945. The first president of the Indian Republic Desratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the founder President and "Bihar Bibhuti" late Dr. Anugraha Narayan Singh was the first working President of the reputed Mandar Vidyapith . A Gandhian, south Indian, Hindi lover literature Anand Shankar Madhavan was the first Acharya and Kulpati(Chancellor) of the Mandar Vidyapith. Post Independence, the gandhian dream of Hindi University could not work out so ultimately in 1993 an English Medium School "Adwait Mission" was started by one of Madhvan's Anandmargi disciple Mr Aditya and is being run inside the campus of old Mandar Vidyapeeth. In Very short period, this has been able to establish itself as one of the best residential schools in this part of south Bihar.
Political Heritage
Banka is the land of great revolutionary Satish Prasad jha. He was one of the seven martyrs who hoisted Tiranga on Secretariate building of Patna on 11 August 1942. Veteran reformer and freedom fighter Sri Ramni Mohan Singh from Narayanpur was the founder president of Banka Congress committee. To protest the prevalent custom of non-education to female,Ramni Mohan Singh offered his first child Smt. Bindhyavasini Devi,MA Hindi (Shantiniketan) into social service and she was elected MLA from Banka(1957–1967). Banka has been politically most attractive destination for veteran socialists.This constituency was the laboratory of socialism. Madhulimaye represented the constituency two times. George Fernandis and Rajnarayan were also contested the parliamentary election from this constituency. On the other side there were number of veteran leaders in Congress party. Smt Vindhyavasini Devi, MLA ( 1957–1967), Ex chief minister of Bihar Chandrashekhar SinghChandrashekhar Singh
Chandrashekhar Singh was a member of the Indian National Congress and served as the Chief Minister of Bihar from August 1983 to March 1985. He also held a number of Cabinet Minister positions in the Cabinet of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi....
, Ex Rajyasabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Singh,ex MP Manorama Singh, Ex MLA Jai Prakash Mishra etc. created a new heights as far as the district congress is concerned. Late Shri Digvijay Singh (14 November 1955 – 24 June 2010) was an Indian politician from the state of Bihar and was an Independent Member of the Parliament of India representing Banka in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. He died on 24 June 2010 in London after suffering a Brain Hemorrhage.
Digvijay Singh served as a Member of the Parliament of India five times – three times in the Lok Sabha (1998, 1999, 2009) and two times in the Rajya Sabha (1990, 2004). He served as Union Minister of State in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government (1999–2004) and Chandrashekhar Government (1990–1991). He was also a successful sports administrator, having served as President of the National Rifle Association of India since 1999. He was one of the three(George fernandes,Digvijay singh, and Nitish kumar) founder member samta party. Which later combined with janta party and Janta dal united(jdu) was formed. Now Putul Singh is the member of parliament from this constituency.
After independence,Banka is the center point of veteran politicians.Veteran freedom fighter Sri Kirti Narayan Singh of Narayanpur village was he first congress president of BhagalPur District Congress.Sri Navpatrika Prasad Singh,again from Narayanpur was the next District congress president.Veteran freedom fighter Sri Ramani Prasad Singh of Narayanpur was the founder congress president of Banka at that point of time.Smt. Bindhyavasini Devi,MA (Hindi) from Shantiniketan and daughter of then Banka Congress President was the first female MLA from Banka from 1957 to 1967.After this many veterans tried and represented this constituency in parliament. This constituency was the laboratory of socialism. Sri Madhu Limaye represented the constituency two times. Mr George Fernandes and Sri Raj Narayan were also contesting the parliamentary election from this constituency.
Demography
The district has a total population of 150,113 of which 145,560 are rural and 4,553 are urban.Population Total 12,92,504 Rural 12,47,869 Urban 44,635
SC Population Total 1,50,113 Rural 1,45,560 Urban 4,553
ST Population Total 63,457 Rural 63,392 Urban 65
Sub Divisions Banka.
Administration
Sub Divisions: BankaBlocks:
(1)Banka,
(2)Amarpur
(3)Shambhuganj
(4)Belhar
(5)Phulidumar
(6)Katoria
(7)Chandan
(8)Baunsi
(9)Barahat
(10)Dhoraiya and
(11)Rajoun.
Out of 11 Blocks 9 are Naxal affected.
Village:- Jhirwa, Kakwara, Rajon, Amarpur, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Bausi, Shambhuganj, Pakaria, Pararia, Barahat, Belhar, Chandan, Samukhia More, Balarpur,Saruka,Loudhia and Lakhpura is the famous villages of banka district.
Economy:-
Banka, unfortunately, has been ranked 3rd least developed district in India after Kalahandi and Raygadha (orissa). The main reason of Banka being declared a backward district could be less urban population.
Banka, as a whole, is an agrerial economy. Banka is considered as RICE BOWL of Bihar. Banka has a very advanced system of Agro product marketing which is very complex yet very simple. The district has three-four major Rice Production and transaction center. The most famous are VIJAYHAT (successfully in existence for last forty years) and Rajoun. Apart from these two, there are Punsia, Katiya, etc. which is small in size (in volume). Most advanced is VIJAYHAT, which in the last 40 years of its existence has devised very strong form of functioning. it has many rice mill (small one) producing high quality USNA(Parmal) rice very popular among locals. The biggest buyers are from Bhagalpur, Kolkata, Purnia, Kanpur, Delhi, Dumka etc. Rajoun has emerged as very good competitor though all the local hat function with business ethics.
Apart from rice, Amarpur belt is famous for sugar cane and Gud mill. They produce world class gud rich in iron and minerals. THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR THESE VILLAGE INDUSTRY IS LACK OF BRANDING. All of them can be world class and have their own brandname e.g. Vijayhat Rice, Amarpur Gud like Mawana suger or Dhampur Sugar which are location based name. But there is lack of awareness and business owner don't give heed to this side of business. they are happy doing business in crude form. These are the reason despite the very large volume their earning are less.
Timber Industry:
Once very dynamic and vibrant industry were totally out of business during RJD regime. again gain momentum in recent years. There are not many saw Mill left and potential are abundant. But due to govt policy, its very difficult to flourish. Source of raw material is also a problem. Very much dependent on local source. Lack of awareness about foreign and cheap source like Malaysia and NewZealand.
Modern Industry:-
Courtesy to late Digvijay singh, Banka has started to figure out as a potential destination for large investment on the national map. A thermal power project promoted by ABHIJIT INDUSTRIES, KOLKATA, is coming up in Bounsi, Banka. Other Sugarcane related industry is coming up in Amarpur.
Green Energy Solutions,Bangalore is another Renewable Energy company co-founded and promoted by a son-of-soil Engineer, Scientist, village lover and Inventor from Narayanpur(Barahat). Through a unique patented technology of Rural Portable Generators,all 6.5 lac Indian villages can be electrified immediately by using available Bullocks or other drought animals as source of power generation. Rural Energy problem solved for good and Rural energy self-reliance looks in sight. A Generator Production Plant is being setup near Barahat.
The young Turks of Banka district, highly educated and dreamer are full of energy and want to do something for their land of birth. During an interview Mr. Singh (from Gurudwar, Banka ) who is pass out of prestigious and one of the top MBA SCHOOL in India, having good industry exposure and is planning to set up unconventional source based power plant in his native village Gurudwar, Vijayhat. He has also plan for modernizing his family business and is confident of a turnover of 100 crore by 2014-15. His idea of reform is to provide employment to maximum, and education, health and basic amenities to village folks. Other dreamer Akshay from Bounsi wants to set up food processing industry. He feels that if managed properly, the local agrarian products can turn Banka into a land of opportunities.
There are many more dreamer like him in this one of the most backward district in India who are raring to go and vow to turn it into top 10.
Location Advantage:-
Banka is strategically located very near to the source of Raw material for heavy industries. Its proximity to Jharkhand (bordering Deoghar, Dumka, Godda) and perennial river like Chandan makes it a very strong contender for coal based Power Plant investment and other heavy Industry.
A railway line connecting existing BHAGALPUR-BOUNSI line to Rampurhat, which is well connected to Howrah, is coming up which will be a boon for investment due to proximity to port and reach to domestic market and a line connecting Sultanganj to Jasidih through Banka is also being developed.
Tourism Industry:-
Gradually turning in to a religious tourism hotspot for Hindu/Jain. Old MANDAR PARVAT (also known as Mandarachar Parvat in Puraan) is very mystic and has many place to visit. A jain temple at the summit in close proximity to a Vishnu temple is a sign of religious tolerance. An initiative of celebrating MANDAR MAHOTSAV was taken by Govt. of India (inaugrated by Late Digvijay Singh and closing ceremony attended by the Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhavat) but could not be continued later. Though every year in January Bounsi Mela is organised which depicts the vibrant village life of Mandar region. A Rath Yatra procession of Lord Madhusudan is taken out every year the same day Puri Rath Yatra procession is taken out. 14th century great saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started this Rath yatra during his visit to this holy land of Mandar.
Agriculture
Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Lentil, Amarpur is the densily populated block of banka district. There are numbers of Khandsari mills here in Amarpur. It is one of the important trade centere of Banka district.Belhar (srinagar)