Kopargaon
Encyclopedia
Kopargaon is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 and a municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...

 in Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period . This district is also known for the towns of Shirdi associated with...

 in the 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...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

. Kopargaon is located some 14 km from the holy town of Shirdi.

Geography

Kopargaon is situated at 19.88°N 74.48°E. It has an average elevation of 493 metres (1617 feet) and lies at the banks of the Godavari river
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...

.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census
Census
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...

, Kopargaon had a population of 2.5 lacs. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kopargaon has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 99%. In Kopargaon, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Kopargaon is regarded as holy by many saints like Janardhan Maharaj, Jungli Maharaj as it is located on the banks of the river Godavari
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...

. It is located 40 km from Manmad
Manmad
Manmad is one of the cities in Nasik district in the state of Maharashtra state in India. It is the third largest city in Nasik district, with a population of approximately 125,000...

 railway junction. The famous temple of Sai Baba
Sai Baba of Shirdi
Sai Baba of Shirdi , also known as Shirdi Sai Baba , was an Indian guru, yogi, and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim devotees as a saint....

 at Shirdi is 14 km from the town. There are two more famous temples of saibaba in kopargaon itself one of which is known as Saidham. The present population of the town is nearly 63,000.

Politics

Kopargaon is Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...

 constituency in Maharashtra. For 2009 state assembly elections there are about 214865 voters. Ashok Shankarrao Kale emerged victorious against Bipin Shankarao Kolhe in the recently held Vidhan Sabha Elections (2009). It has the courts of CJJD, CJSD, & ADJ.
During the recent Graduate Constituency Election, Kopargaon city & taluka gave a historic lead to the Indian National Congress (INC) candidate Dr.Sudhir Tambe. Till to date, during graduate constituency elections the percentage of votes cast from the Kopargaon City was 20 to 25%. But, during this election, a record 52% votes were cast.

Economy

There are three sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 factories around Kopargaon.In addition to this, there is an industrial estate having 52 small scale industries and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

.

The economy of the tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....

 is driven mainly by agriculture with sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

 being the major cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...

 of the region. The sugar industries in Kopargaon are Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, The Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana and Takali Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana. Abundance of water due to efficient irrigation system has tempted the farmers to grow sugarcane. Kopargaon has been on the forefront of developments in agriculture with most modern technologies being made available to the farmers for the advantage of cultivation. However, due to increased competition, shortage of water resources in the area and mainly due to politics the agriculture based economy has been on a steep downfall. Different towns around Kopargaon like Yeola
Yeola
Yeola is a town and a municipal council and a taluka headquarters in Nashik District in the Indian state of Maharashtra.Yeola is 82 kilometres from Nasik on Nasik-Aurangabad Highway and 29 kilometres south of Manmad on the Manmad–Ahmednagar road. Yeola is 35 kilometres from...

, Sangamner
Sangamner
Sangamner is a city and a municipal council located in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra state in India. It is situated on the Pravara River and it is one of the most developed cities in the area. The city got its name because it is on the site of the confluence of three rivers in the area:...

, Sinnar
Sinnar
Sinnar is a city and a municipal council in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Sinnar is located at . It has an average elevation of 651 metres . Sinnar is one of the major industrial zones built around city of Nashik. It lies 30 km southeast of...

, Vaijapur
Vaijapur
Vaijapur is a city and a municipal council in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Vaijapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 514 metres ....

 have flourished due to the political stability in their regions. Few decades ago sunflower was also one of the major crops of the region. However, again due to shortage of water resources this crop has lost its existence in this region. The other cash crops in this region are wheat and soyabean.

The major banks that are located in the town are Bank of Maharashtra
Bank of Maharashtra
Bank of Maharashtra is the premier bank of Maharashtra, operating in the country of India.Registered on 16th Sept 1935 with an authorized capital of Rs 10.00 lakh and commenced business on 8th Feb 1936....

, Bank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda is the third largest bank in India, after the State Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank and ahead of ICICI Bank. BoB is ranked 763 in Forbes Global 2000 list. BoB has total assets in excess of Rs. 3.58 lakh crores, or Rs. 3,583 billion, a network of over 3,409 branches and...

, State Bank of India
State Bank of India
The State Bank of India is the largest Indian banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Mumbai, India. It is state-owned. The bank traces its ancestry to British India, through the Imperial Bank of India, to the founding in 1806 of the Bank of Calcutta, making it the oldest...

, Central Bank of India
Central Bank of India
Central Bank of India , a government-owned bank, is one of the oldest and largest commercial banks in India. It is based in Mumbai...

, HDFC and ICICI
Ičići
Icici is a small place located in the north-east part of Istria, Croatia . It is located under a mountain Učka, on the north part of the Adriatic Sea....

. There is also a local co-operative bank known as Kopargaon People's co-operative bank & Nagar Urban Co-op Bank Ltd. Besides having many medium to small credit co-operative societies. Due to slack market economy a lot of young professionals are migrating to Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

, Nasik and Aurangabad for job opportunities.

Educational institutions

The Sanjivani College of Engineering
Sanjivani College of Engineering
Sanjivani College of Engineering is a private engineering college located in Kopargaon, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India. The college is affiliated to the University of Pune and approved by the Directorate of Technical Education , Maharashtra State and All India Council of Technical Education , New...

 is one of the important centers of the town. The college is one of the oldest and famous colleges under University of Pune graded 'A' by the National Board of Accrediction (NBA) and lays under ISO 9001 standards.

There are a few educational institutions like K.B. Rohmare Junior college, S.S.G.M Science,Gautam Arts and Sanjivani Commerce College,Kopargaon. As far as basic education is concerned S.G.Vidyalaya and K.B.P. Vidyalaya are reputed for primary education which are marathi medium schools. Kopargaon also has only a girls school, Dr.C.M. Mehta Kanya Vidya mandir . Besides, the city also have English schools namely ( ranked order ) 1.Shri Sharda English Medium School 2. Seva Niketan Convent School, 3. Sanjivani English Medium School and other few.
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