The foothills of the modern state of Himachal Pradesh were inhabited by people from the Indus valley civilisation which flourished between 2250 and 1750 BCE.
Several hill states acknowledged Mughal suzerainty and paid regular tribute to the Mughals. The Kingdom of Gorkha conquered many kingdoms and came to power in Nepal in 1768.
They managed to defeat Sansar Chand Katoch, the ruler of Kangra, in 1806 with the help of many provincial chiefs.
However, the Nepali army could not capture Kangra fort which came under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1809.
However, Raja Ram Singh, Raja of Siba State, captured the fort of Siba from the remnants of Lahore Darbar in Samvat 1846, during the First Anglo-Sikh War. They came into direct conflict with the British along the tarai belt after which the British expelled them from the provinces of the Satluj.
In the revolt of 1857, or first Indian war of independence, arising from a number of grievances against the British, the people of the hill states were not as politically active as were those in other parts of the country.
Some, including the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami, rendered help to the British government during the revolt. The British territories came under the British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858.
These were known as the Simla Hills States and four Punjab southern hill states under the Himachal Pradesh (Administration) Order, 1948 under Sections 3 and 4 of the Extra-Provincial Jurisdiction Act, 1947 (later renamed as the Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947 vide A.O.
Among these were the states of Kangra, Jaswan, Datarpur, Guler, Rajgarh, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi, and Bilaspur. After independence, the Chief Commissioner's Province of Himachal Pradesh was organised on 15 April 1948 as a result of the integration of 28 petty princely states (including feudal princes and zaildars) in the promontories of the western Himalayas.
These were known as the Simla Hills States and four Punjab southern hill states under the Himachal Pradesh (Administration) Order, 1948 under Sections 3 and 4 of the Extra-Provincial Jurisdiction Act, 1947 (later renamed as the Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947 vide A.O.
It came into being as a centrally administered territory on 15 April 1948 from the integration of thirty erstwhile princely states. Himachal Pradesh is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy, a feature the state shares with other Indian states.
The State of Bilaspur was merged into Himachal Pradesh on 1 July 1954 by the Himachal Pradesh and Bilaspur (New State) Act, 1954. Himachal became a Part 'C' state on 26 January 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India and the Lieutenant Governor was appointed.
The districts are further divided into 73 subdivisions, 78 blocks and 172 Tehsils. {|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left;" |- ! Divisions !! Districts |- | Kangra || Chamba, Kangra, Una |- | Mandi || Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Mandi |- | Shimla || Kinnaur, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan |} == Economy == The era of planning in Himachal Pradesh started in 1951 along with the rest of India with the implementation of the first five-year plan.
The Legislative Assembly was elected in 1952.
The State of Bilaspur was merged into Himachal Pradesh on 1 July 1954 by the Himachal Pradesh and Bilaspur (New State) Act, 1954. Himachal became a Part 'C' state on 26 January 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India and the Lieutenant Governor was appointed.
Himachal Pradesh became a union territory on 1 November 1956.
In 1966, hilly areas of neighboring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971. Himachal Pradesh is spread across valleys with many perennial rivers flowing through them.
Some areas of Punjab State, namely, Simla, Kangra, Kullu and Lahul and Spiti Districts, Nalagarh Tehsil of Ambala District, Lohara, Amb and Una Janungo circles, some area of Santokhgarh Kanungo circle and some other specified area of Una Tehsil of Hoshiarpur District, besides some parts of Dhar Kalan Kanungo circle of Pathankot District—were merged with Himachal Pradesh on 1 November 1966 on enactment by Parliament of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
On 18 December 1970, the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament, and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971.
In 1966, hilly areas of neighboring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971. Himachal Pradesh is spread across valleys with many perennial rivers flowing through them.
On 18 December 1970, the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament, and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971.
The infant mortality rate stood at 40 in 2010, and the crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 16.9 in 2010, below the national average of 26.5 in 1998.
Himachal Pradesh's literacy rate has almost doubled between 1981 and 2011 (see table to right).
The infant mortality rate stood at 40 in 2010, and the crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 16.9 in 2010, below the national average of 26.5 in 1998.
It is an electrified track since 1999. Future constructions: –Hamirpur rail project via Dhundla Bhanupali (Punjab)–Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh Chandigarh–Baddi ===Narrow-gauge lines=== Himachal is known for its narrow-gauge railways.
In 2011–12, the total area under apple cultivation was 104,000 hectares, increased from 90,347 hectares in 2000–01.
The rich hydropower resources of Himachal have resulted in the state becoming almost universally electrified with around 94.8% houses receiving electricity as of 2001, as compared to the national average of 55.9%.
The sex ratio stood at 972 females per 1,000 males, recording a marginal increase from 968 in 2001.
The child sex ratio increased from 896 in 2001 to 909 in 2011.
In an effort to raise the number of teaching staff at primary schools they appointed over 1000 teacher aids through the Vidya Upasak Yojna in 2001.
As of 2002, the IHR is undergoing large scale irrational extraction of wild, medicinal herbs, thus endangering many of its high-value gene stock.
To address this, a workshop on ‘Endangered Medicinal Plant Species in Himachal Pradesh’ was held in 2002 and the conference was attended by forty experts from diverse disciplines. According to 2003 Forest Survey of India report, legally defined forest areas constitute 66.52% of the area of Himachal Pradesh.
To address this, a workshop on ‘Endangered Medicinal Plant Species in Himachal Pradesh’ was held in 2002 and the conference was attended by forty experts from diverse disciplines. According to 2003 Forest Survey of India report, legally defined forest areas constitute 66.52% of the area of Himachal Pradesh.
Expenditure on energy sector was 24.2% of the total in the Tenth Plan. The total GDP for 2005–06 was estimated at 254 billion as against 230 billion in the year 2004–05, showing an increase of 10.5%.
Expenditure on energy sector was 24.2% of the total in the Tenth Plan. The total GDP for 2005–06 was estimated at 254 billion as against 230 billion in the year 2004–05, showing an increase of 10.5%.
This was a drastic increase from the 13% that was recorded in 2006–2007. === Agriculture === Agriculture accounts for 9.4% of the net state domestic product.
As of the year 2009–2010, Himachal Pradesh joined the category of high female participation, recording a 46% share of NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) work days to women.
The Rashtriya Madhayamic Shiksha Abhiyan launched in 2009, is a similar scheme but focuses on improving access to quality secondary education. The standard of education in the state has reached a considerably high level as compared to other states in India with several reputed educational institutes for higher studies.
The infant mortality rate stood at 40 in 2010, and the crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 16.9 in 2010, below the national average of 26.5 in 1998.
The crude death rate was 6.9 in 2010.
In 2011–12, the total area under apple cultivation was 104,000 hectares, increased from 90,347 hectares in 2000–01.
In addition, around 5,000 private buses ply in the state. == Demographics == === Population === Himachal Pradesh has a total population of 6,864,602 including 3,481,873 males and 3,382,729 females according to the Census of India 2011.
The child sex ratio increased from 896 in 2001 to 909 in 2011.
Himachal Pradesh's literacy rate has almost doubled between 1981 and 2011 (see table to right).
The state is one of the most literate states of India with a literacy rate of 83.78% as of 2011. === Languages === Hindi is the official language of Himachal Pradesh and is spoken by the majority of the population as a lingua franca.
By 2011, the literacy rate surged to 82.8%, making Himachal one of the most-literate states in the country.
The GDP for fiscal 2015–16 was estimated at 1.110 trillion, which increased to 1.247 trillion in 2016–17, recording growth of 6.8%.
The per capita income increased from 130,067 in 2015–16 to 147,277 in 2016–17.
According to the provisional estimates of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the annual apple production in Himachal for fiscal 2015–16 stood at 753,000 tonnes, making it India's second-largest apple-producing state after Jammu and Kashmir. === Energy === Hydropower is one of the major sources of income generation for the state.
The region also has some of the oldest Buddhist Monasteries in the world Himachal hosted the first Paragliding World Cup in India from 24 to 31 October in 2015.
The total fertility rate (TFR) per woman in 2015 stood at 1.7, one of the lowest in India. In the census, the state is placed 21st on the population chart, followed by Tripura at 22nd place.
The hilly state is almost universally electrified with 99.5% of the households having electricity as of 2016.
The state was declared India's second open-defecation-free state in 2016.
The GDP for fiscal 2015–16 was estimated at 1.110 trillion, which increased to 1.247 trillion in 2016–17, recording growth of 6.8%.
The per capita income increased from 130,067 in 2015–16 to 147,277 in 2016–17.
The identified hydroelectric potential for the state is 27,436 MW in five river basins while the hydroelectric capacity in 2016 was 10,351 MW. == Tourism == Tourism in Himachal Pradesh is a major contributor to the state's economy and growth.
According to a survey of CMS – India Corruption Study 2017, Himachal Pradesh is India's least corrupt state. == History == Tribes such as the Koli, Hali, Dagi, Dhaugri, Dasa, Khasa, Kanaura, and Kirat inhabited the region from the prehistoric era.
Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats, for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. In the assembly elections held in November 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured an absolute majority, winning 44 of the 68 seats while the Congress won only 21 of the 68 seats.
Jai Ram Thakur was sworn in as Himachal Pradesh's Chief Minister for the first time in Shimla on 27 December 2017. == Administrative divisions == The state of Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts which are grouped into three divisions, Shimla, Kangra and Mandi.
The state government's advance estimates for fiscal 2017–18 stated the total GDP and per capita income as 1.359 trillion and 158,462, respectively.
As of 2018, Himachal is the 22nd-largest state economy in India with in gross domestic product and has the 13th-highest per capita income () among the states and union territories of India. Himachal Pradesh also ranks as the second-best performing state in the country on human development indicators after Kerala.
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