Lohardaga
Encyclopedia
Lohardaga is a town and the district headquarters of Lohardaga district
in the India
n state
of Jharkhand
, west of Ranchi
, the state capital. Earlier (early 1900s) Lohardaga was the commissionary headquarters for Chotanagpur. (See:http://lohardaga.nic.in/history.htm) It was only later that the commissionary of Chotanagpur was shifted to Ranchi. The commissioner's office still exists and it houses the Lohardaga Municipality office.
s (2122 feet).
, Lohardaga had a population of 46,204. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Lohardaga has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 66%. In Lohardaga, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
No panchayat elections have been held in the State after 72/73rd amendments in the Constitution of India. Therefore as per the direction of the Government, Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio Chairman of District Rural Development Agency which plans, implements, supervises and monitors various Central Sponsored and State Sponsored Schemes. The DDC is ex-officio Managing Director of DRDA as well as Chief Executive Officer. There are five blocks in the district. On the block level BDOs are involved in developmental works of the respective blocks. Under the BDOs, there are Panchayatsewak and Jansewaks at the panchayat level.
Besides the agencies which have been described above there are various line departments which also plan, implement, supervise and monitor the schemes as per the instructions of their department. They are Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Forest, Welfare, Fisheries, Education, P.H.E.D., R.E.O., P.W.D.(Road), Minor Irrigation, Co-operative, Electricity, Telecommunication, Industries and Mining. Also there is a Meso office to implement various developmental schemes for the tribals. All these line departments though work under their respective controlling officer of the department, they are indirectly under control of the District Administration. Almost every line departments has a divisional office at the district level. There is also a 20-Point programme implementation committee at the district level under the Chairmanship of Minister of the State Government, who is appointed by the State Government. Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio secretary of the committee. This committee supervises, monitors, the implementation of the schemes of the line department.
DAV Public School and Sen's Triveni Public School are considered to be the two best schools in Lohardaga. DAV Public School and Sen's Triveni Public School are English-medium school.
Lohardaga has two colleges, B.S. College and Women's College. But effectively only one college is operational because of the ongoing land disputes in Women's College. B.S College offers higher educations in Science, Arts and Commerce stream but fails to perform up to the marks in all the three faculties. Dr.(Mrs) Mukul Rani Singh one of the eminent educationists in Jharkhand was amongst the first few ladies to come to Lohardaga in early 1960s. She served with B.S. College as Head of Department till mid 1990s. Her stay in Lohardaga made a significant impact on the psyche of the locals and promoted girl deucation in the region. Dr. (Mrs) Mukul Rani Singh, died of cancer in the yeat 1994. That's why most of the students of Lohardaga who are keen to pursue higher studies move to Ranchi, the state capital, which houses a number of good schools and colleges offering higher education.
, 70 km away.
Lohardaga is connected to the state capital, Ranchi
, by road and rail. The 68 km railway track was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge in 2005. The track is planned to be extended 44 km more to connect with Tori
railway station in Chandwa
district. This would reduce the railway distance between Ranchi and Delhi and the railway travel time by three hours. However the construction of a tunnel under the hill between Lohardaga and Tori has not been completed even in a decade. The track has been laid only for 14 km from Lohardaga to Barkichampi and laying of the track on the remaining 30 km running through dense forests has been delayed by terrorist actions of maoists.
Lohardaga District
Lohardaga district is one of the twenty-four districts of the Indian state of Jharkand. The district is named after the town of Lohardaga, the administrative headquarters of the district. The district was created from a portion of Ranchi district in 1983....
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 Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, west of Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, the state capital. Earlier (early 1900s) Lohardaga was the commissionary headquarters for Chotanagpur. (See:http://lohardaga.nic.in/history.htm) It was only later that the commissionary of Chotanagpur was shifted to Ranchi. The commissioner's office still exists and it houses the Lohardaga Municipality office.
Geography
Lohardaga is located at 23.43°N 84.68°E. It has an average elevation of 647 metreMetre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s (2122 feet).
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...
, Lohardaga had a population of 46,204. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Lohardaga has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 66%. In Lohardaga, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Government administration structure
The Deputy Commissioner is the head of the district administration and is ex-officio chairman of various societies, agencies that are involved in the development of the district. Various societies and the Governmental agencies which are in the direct control of the Deputy Commissioner are DRDA, MESO, Central Sponsored Social Sector Schemes, Welfare Schemes, Total Literacy Mission and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Various Societies constituted for Health Services. Among NGOs PRADAN(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRADAN) and LGSS are active in the District. PRADAN works with over 8,000 families around issus of micro-irrigation, decentralised poultry, dairy, commercial agriculture, etc. and has been active in this district since 1992No panchayat elections have been held in the State after 72/73rd amendments in the Constitution of India. Therefore as per the direction of the Government, Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio Chairman of District Rural Development Agency which plans, implements, supervises and monitors various Central Sponsored and State Sponsored Schemes. The DDC is ex-officio Managing Director of DRDA as well as Chief Executive Officer. There are five blocks in the district. On the block level BDOs are involved in developmental works of the respective blocks. Under the BDOs, there are Panchayatsewak and Jansewaks at the panchayat level.
Besides the agencies which have been described above there are various line departments which also plan, implement, supervise and monitor the schemes as per the instructions of their department. They are Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Forest, Welfare, Fisheries, Education, P.H.E.D., R.E.O., P.W.D.(Road), Minor Irrigation, Co-operative, Electricity, Telecommunication, Industries and Mining. Also there is a Meso office to implement various developmental schemes for the tribals. All these line departments though work under their respective controlling officer of the department, they are indirectly under control of the District Administration. Almost every line departments has a divisional office at the district level. There is also a 20-Point programme implementation committee at the district level under the Chairmanship of Minister of the State Government, who is appointed by the State Government. Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio secretary of the committee. This committee supervises, monitors, the implementation of the schemes of the line department.
Important personalities
Lohardaga has been a land of intellectuals and great leaders. It has produced freedom fighters,thinkers,intellectuals,businessmen,teachers and visionaries. Some of the eminent personalities include Sitaram Sharma (fondly known as Baba) a great social worker, Late Shiv Prasad Sahu politician and businessman, Late Sri Lalit Oraon a very good leader, Anamol Kumar Lal an extraordinary teacher and mathematician. The people of Lohardaga have always contributed to the intellectual,social and economic state of Jharkhand.Especially the work done by Shri Sitaram Sharma in the area of public service is exemplary.Education
Some renowned schools of Lohardaga include- Lievens Academy
- DAV Public School
- Saraswati Shishu Mandir
- Nadia Hindu Ucch Vidyalaya
- Sen's Triveni Public School
- Greater Triveni Public school
- Triveni Tiny Task
- Triveni Girls Convent
- Ursuline Convent
- Chunni Lal High School
DAV Public School and Sen's Triveni Public School are considered to be the two best schools in Lohardaga. DAV Public School and Sen's Triveni Public School are English-medium school.
Lohardaga has two colleges, B.S. College and Women's College. But effectively only one college is operational because of the ongoing land disputes in Women's College. B.S College offers higher educations in Science, Arts and Commerce stream but fails to perform up to the marks in all the three faculties. Dr.(Mrs) Mukul Rani Singh one of the eminent educationists in Jharkhand was amongst the first few ladies to come to Lohardaga in early 1960s. She served with B.S. College as Head of Department till mid 1990s. Her stay in Lohardaga made a significant impact on the psyche of the locals and promoted girl deucation in the region. Dr. (Mrs) Mukul Rani Singh, died of cancer in the yeat 1994. That's why most of the students of Lohardaga who are keen to pursue higher studies move to Ranchi, the state capital, which houses a number of good schools and colleges offering higher education.
Transport
The nearest airport is at the state capital RanchiRanchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, 70 km away.
Lohardaga is connected to the state capital, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, by road and rail. The 68 km railway track was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge in 2005. The track is planned to be extended 44 km more to connect with Tori
Tori
Tori may refer to:*Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, the ocean research institute of Taiwan*Tori , horse originating in continental Estonia*Tori , the executor of a technique in partnered martial arts practice...
railway station in Chandwa
Chandwa
Chandwa, is a community development block in Latehar district, in Indian state of Jharkhand. It is located around 75 km from Ranchi, the state capital. It is surrounded by picturesque scenery and is well known for abundance of bauxite and coal mines. It is mineral rich like most of Jharkhand...
district. This would reduce the railway distance between Ranchi and Delhi and the railway travel time by three hours. However the construction of a tunnel under the hill between Lohardaga and Tori has not been completed even in a decade. The track has been laid only for 14 km from Lohardaga to Barkichampi and laying of the track on the remaining 30 km running through dense forests has been delayed by terrorist actions of maoists.