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 Ludhiana, this city is the commercial capital of Punjab | |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR, ₹) |
|---|---|
| 1 April – 31 March | |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Around 27.7 million (2011 Census of India) |
| GDP |  ₹8.91 lakh crore (US$110 billion)[1](nominal; 2025 est.) $441.7 billion[1](PPP; 2025 est.) |
| GDP rank | 16th |
GDP growth | 9.9% (2025-26 est.)[1] |
GDP per capita | $3,413[1](nominal; 2025 est.) $14,385[1](PPP; 2025 est.) |
GDP per capita rank | 19th |
GDP by sector |  Agriculture 25% Industry 25% Services 50% (2020-21)[2] |
 3.55% (February 2025)[3] | |
| 6.0% (as on 12 July 2019)[4] | |
Population belowpoverty line | 4.26% (2025–26)[5] (5th) |
| 0.738high (2023) (12st) | |
| Unemployment |  5.9% (2023–2024)[6] (13th) |
| Public finances | |
| 44.8% of GSDP (2025-26 est.)[1] | |
| ₹34,201 crore (US$4.0 billion) (3.84% of GSDP) (2025-26 est.)[1] | |
| Revenues | ₹112,431 crore (US$13 billion) (2025-26 est.)[7] |
| Expenses | ₹146,632 crore (US$17 billion) (2025-26 est.)[1] |
All values, unless otherwise stated, are inUS dollars. | |
Theeconomy of Punjab is the16th largest state economy inIndia with 8.91 lakh crore (US$110 billion)[2] ingross domestic product (GDP) for the 2025-26fiscal year. Its GDP ranks16th amongst Indian states with US$2720 (2,27,950) per capita.[8][9][10]
Punjab ranked first in GDP per capita amongst Indian states in 1981 and fourth in 2001, but has experienced slower growth than the rest of India in recent years, having the second-slowestGDP per capita growth rate of all Indian states andunion territories (UTs) between 2000 and 2010, behind onlyManipur. Between 1992 and 2014, Punjab's life expectancy also grew slower than most Indian states, rising from 69.4 to 71.4 years. During this period, Punjab'srank amongst Indian states in life expectancy at birth fell from first to sixth.[11][12]
The state's economy is dominated primarily byagricultural production andsmall and medium-sized enterprises. Punjab has theninth highest ranking among Indian states and UTs inhuman development index as of 2018.[13]
Punjab ranked first in GDP per capita amongst Indian states in 1981 and fourth in 2001, but has experienced slower growth than the rest of India,having the second-slowest GDP per capita growth rate of all Indian states and UTs between 2000 and 2010, behind onlyManipur.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
The people of theIndus Valley Civilisation, a permanent settlement that flourished between 2800 BC and 1800 BC, practised agriculture and animal domestication, used uniform weights and measures, made tools and weapons, and traded with other cities.
The civilization had knowledge ofurban planning, with evidence of well-planned streets, a drainage system, awater supply, and the first-known urbansanitation system. There is also evidence of a form of municipal government.[20]
Silver punch-marked coins were minted as currency during the period of intensive trade activity and urban development by theMahajanapadas.[21][22]
Scholars suggest that trading from India to West Asia and Eastern Europe via the silk road was active between the 14th and 18th centuries.[23][24][25] Most overland trade was carried out via theKhyber Pass, connecting thePunjab region with Afghanistan and continuing into the Middle East and Central Asia.[26]
Although many kingdoms and rulers issued coins,barter was prevalent in the region. Villages paid a portion of their agricultural produce as revenue to the rulers, while their craftsmen received a part of the crops at harvest time for their services.[27]
TheMughal Empire ruled over Punjab from 1526 to 1738, controlling its economy and implementingIslamic economics. It was under Mughal rule that barter became less common in Punjab and a monetary system was fully established.[27]
The barons collected a very moderate rent, and that mostly in kind. Their soldiery never molested the husbandman; the baron never levied the whole of his share; and in the country, perhaps, never was a cultivator treated with more indulgence. Moreover, the baron did not interfere with old and hereditary land tenures. The rules of haq shufd did not permit land to be sold to an outsider. New fields, or residential sites could be broken out of waste land as such land was available in plenty. Duties on traders and merchants also brought some revenue. The Sikh barons gave full protection to traders passing through their territories.
— James Browne, a contemporaryBritish East India Company Employee[28]
Extensive and valuable commerce was maintained in their territories which was extended to distant quarters of India.
— George Forster, who traveled to Punjab in 1783[28]
The decline of the Mughal Empire left a power vacuum in the Punjab, which resulted inconstant conflict until the formation of theSikh Empire. The conflict severely damaged the economy.[29]
Ranjit Singh,Maharaja of the Sikh Empire from 1801–1839, ensured that Punjab manufactured all weapons, equipment and munitionshis army needed, being self-sufficient.[30] His government invested in some infrastructure during the 1800s and thereafter, established raw materials mines, cannonfoundries, and factories for gunpowder and arms.[30] Some of these operations were owned by the state, others operated by private Sikh entities.[30]
However, Ranjit Singh did not make major investments in other infrastructure such asirrigation canals to improve the productivity of land and roads. The prosperity inhis empire, in contrast to the Mughal–Sikh wars era, largely came from the improvement in the security situation, reduction in violence, reopened trade routes and greater freedom to conduct commerce.[31]
Under Sikh rule, the Nanakshahi rupee (issued by the Sikhs and named afterGuru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism) was the predominant currency.[32]
Within a few years of its annexation, Punjab was regarded as British India's model agricultural province. From the 1860s onwards, agricultural prices and land values soared in the Punjab. This stemmed from increasing political security and improvements in infrastructure and communications. New cash crops such aswheat,tobacco,sugar cane andcotton were introduced to the region. By the 1920s, Punjab produced a tenth of India's total cotton crops and a third of its wheat crops. Per capita output of all the crops in the province increased by approximately 45 percent between 1891 and 1921, a growth contrasting to agricultural crises in Bengal,Bihar andOrissa during the period.[33]
In 1885, thePunjab administration of the British Raj began a plan to transform over six million acres of barren waste land in central and western Punjab into irrigable agricultural land. Thecreation of canal colonies was designed to relieve demographic pressures in the central parts of the province, increase productivity and revenues, and create support for the British amongst peasant landholders.[34] The colonisation resulted in an agricultural revolution in the province, rapid industrial growth, and the resettlement of over one million Punjabis in the new areas.[35] A number of towns were created or saw significant development in the colonies, such asLyallpur,Sargodha, andMontgomery. Colonisation led to the size of canal irrigated area in Punjab increasing from three to fourteen million acres in the period from 1885 to 1947.[36]
An agricultural college was also established inBritish India, now known asUniversity of Agriculture Faisalabad. Rapid agricultural growth, combined with access to easy credit for landowners, led to a growing crisis of indebtedness.[37] When landowners were unable to pay down their loans, urban based moneylenders took advantage of the law to foreclose debts of mortgaged land.[37] This led to a situation where land increasingly passed to absentee moneylenders who had little connection to the villages were the land was located. The colonial government recognised this as a potential threat to stability in the province, and a split emerged in the government between paternalists who favoured intervention to ensure order, and those who opposed state intervention in private property relations.[33] The paternalists emerged victorious and thePunjab Land Alienation Act of 1900 prevented urban commercial castes, who were overwhelmingly Hindu, from permanently acquiring land from statutory agriculturalist tribes, who were mainly Muslim and Sikh.[38] Accompanied by the increasing franchise of the rural population, this interventionist approach led to a long lasting impact on the political landscape of the province. The agricultural lobby remained loyal to the government, and rejected communalism in common defence of its privileges against urban moneylenders. This position was entrenched by the Unionist Party.
The Congress Party's opposition to the Act led to it being marginalised in the Punjab, reducing its influence more so than in any other province, and inhibiting its ability to challenge colonial rule locally. The political dominance of the Unionist Party in Punjab would remain untilpartition, only collapsing on the eve of independence from Britain when communal violence began to spread in rural Punjab.[33]
In 1914, three fifths of the Indian army came from Punjab, despite the region constituting approximately one tenth of the total population of British India.[39] During theFirst World War, Punjabi Sikhs alone accounted for one quarter of all armed personnel in India.[40] Military service provided access to the wider world, and personnel were deployed across theBritish Empire fromMalaya, the Mediterranean, to Africa.[40] Upon completion of their terms of service, these personnel were often amongst the first to seek economic opportunities abroad.[40]
At the outbreak of theSecond World War, 48 percent of the Indian army came from the province.[41] In Jhelum, Rawalpindi, and Attock the percentage of the total male population who enlisted reached fifteen percent.[42] Punjab continued to be the main supplier of troops throughout the war, contributing 36 percent of the total Indian troops who served in the conflict.[43]
The huge proportion of Punjabis in the army meant that a significant amount of military expenditure went to Punjabis and in turn resulted in a notably high level of resource investment in Punjab.[44] It has been suggested that by 1935, ifremittances of serving officers were combined with income from military pensions, more than two thirds of Punjab's land revenue could have been paid out of military incomes.[44] Military service further helped reduce the extent of indebtedness across the province. In 1920 inHoshiarpur, a notable source of military personnel, thirty percent of proprietors were debt free compared to the region's average of eleven percent.[44] In addition, the benefits of military service and the perception that the government was benevolent towards soldiers, affected the latter's attitudes towards the British.[45] The loyalty of recruited peasantry and the influence of military groups in rural areas across the province limited the reach of the nationalist movement in the province.[45]
TheGreen Revolution in India was first introduced inPunjab in the late 1960s as part of a development program issued by international donor agencies and the Government of India.[47]
Since 1965, the use ofhigh-yielding varieties of seeds, increasedfertilisers and improvedirrigation facilities collectively contributed to theGreen Revolution in India. This improved the condition of agriculture by increasing crop productivity, improving crop patterns and strengthening forward and backward linkages between agriculture and industry.[48] A large amount of the development was focused in Punjab, and greatly improved the states economy, especially in comparison to the rest of India, which saw alow rate of growth. By 1981, Punjab's GDP per capita had become the highest amongst Indian states and union territories.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
The Green Revolution yielded great economic prosperity during its early years. In Punjab, where it was first introduced, the Green Revolution led to significant increases in the state's agricultural output, supporting India's overall economy. By 1970, Punjab was producing 70% of the country's total food grains,[49] and farmers' incomes were increasing by over 70%.[49] Punjab's prosperity following the Green Revolution became a model to which other states looked to replicate.[50]
Punjab became the first Indian state to provide electricity to all of its villages in 1974, after the completion of the Guru Nanak Thermal Plant inBathinda.[51][50]
However, despite the initial prosperity experienced in Punjab, the Green Revolution was met with controversy.
Criticism of the effects of the Green Revolution include the high costs of usingHigh-yielding variety (HYV) seeds for small farmers, which require greater use of irrigation systems andpesticides. Examples of this can be found in Punjab, where farmers boughtMonsanto BT cotton seeds. Farmers were sold on the idea that these seeds produced 'naturalinsecticides', saving costs. In reality, they still needed to pay for expensive pesticides and irrigation systems, which can lead to increased borrowing to finance the change from traditional seed varieties. Many farmers have difficulty in paying for the expensive technologies, especially if they have a bad harvest. These high costs of cultivation push rural farmers to take out loans, typically at high interest rates.[47] Over-borrowing commonly entraps farmers into a cycle of debt.[47]
India's liberalized economy has further exacerbated the farmers's economic conditions. Indian environmentalistVandana Shiva writes that this is the "second Green Revolution". The first Green Revolution, she suggests, was mostly publicly funded (by the Indian Government). This new Green Revolution, she says, is driven by private and foreign interest—notablyMultinational corporations (MNCs) like Monsanto—encouraged byneoliberal policies. Ultimately, this has led to foreign ownership over most of India's farmland, undermining farmers' interests.[47]
Farmer's financial issues have become particularly apparent in Punjab, where its rural areas have witnessed an alarming rise in suicide rates.[47] There was an estimated 51.97% increase in the number of reported suicides in Punjab from 1992–93, compared to the recorded 5.11% increase in the country as a whole.[47] According to a 2019 Indian news report, indebtedness continues to be a grave issue affecting Punjabi people today, demonstrated by the more than 900 farmers recorded to have committed suicide in Punjab in the last two years.[52]
Excessive and inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides have polluted waterways and killed important insects and wildlife. The increased agricultural production has causedover-use of soil and has rapidly depleted its nutrients. The rampant irrigation practices have led tosoil degradation caused bystubble burning. Groundwater practices have fallen dramatically. Further, heavy dependence on a few major crops has led toloss of biodiversity in farming. These problems were aggravated due to absence of training to use modern technology and vastilliteracy, leading to excessive use of chemicals.[53]
The Green Revolution only spread to irrigated and high-potential, rainfed areas. The regions in villages without the access to sufficient water were left out of the economic prosperity brought by the Green Revolution. This widened the regional disparities between adopters and non-adopters. Since the HYV seeds can only be used in lands with a reliable water supply and requires chemicals, fertilizers etc., the introduction of the new technology in the dry-land areas is ruled out.
While theGreen Revolution in Punjab had several positive and negative impacts, the introduction of new mechanised agricultural techniques led to an unevendistribution of wealth. Industrial development was not done at the same pace of agricultural development and the Indian government had been reluctant to set up heavy industries in Punjab due to its status as a high-risk state bordering Pakistan.[54] The rapid increase in higher education opportunities without an adequate corresponding rise in the jobs resulted in an increase in unemployment for educated youth.[55] The resulting unemployed rural Sikh youth were drawn to militant groups, and formed the backbone of themilitancy that occurred in Punjab during the 1980s.[56]
Economic liberalisation in India propelled India to become one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. However, Punjab has grown slower than the rest of India, and thus its GDP per capita rank has dropped from first amongst Indian states and union territories in 1981 to sixteenth in 2020.[14][15][16][17][18][19][excessive citations]
Some[who?] argue that part of the slower growth might have been caused by high rates of corruption in the state government and mistreatment of the state by the central government.[14][15][16][17][18][19][excessive citations] Low rates of investment and high rates of debt, some of the problems caused by the Green Revolution, have helped keep growth lower in the state than elsewhere in India.[57][51]
The slower growth of Punjab's economy, particularlywithin the agricultural sector, is believed to have helped fuel the2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.[57]
The economy of Punjab was severely effected by theCOVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020.[58]
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The state government agency in charge of collecting macroeconomic statistics is theEconomic and Statistical Organisation of Punjab (ESO).
According to the2008Global Hunger Index,Punjab had the lowest level of hunger in India, with less than one-fourth of children below the age of five being underweight.[59] The state also had one of the lowest poverty rates in India at 8 percent in 2012.[60] Punjab had seen strong economic growth in the past, but since 2005 the state's growth has fallen below the national average.[60]
Punjab's debt was estimated to be 39.8% of the state's GDP in 2020,[2] down from 62% in 2005.[61]
The following chart shows the trends in Punjab's gross state domestic product at market prices, as estimated by theMinistry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.[62]
| Year | Gross State Domestic Product (Indian Rupee / Ten Million / Crores) |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 50,250 |
| 1985 | 95,060 |
| 1990 | 188,830 |
| 1995 | 386,150 |
| 2000 | 660,100 |
| 2005 | 925,380[61] |
| 2011 | 2,213,320[63] |
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Punjab's economy has been primarily agriculture-based since theGreen Revolution due to the presence of abundant water sources and fertile soils;[65] most of the state lies in a fertilealluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system, making it ideal for growing grains, fruits, and vegetables.[66] Despite covering only 1.53%[67] of its geographical area, Punjab makes up about 17%[68][69][70][71] of India's wheat production (the second highest amongst Indian states and union territories afterUttar Pradesh, the latter producing more than 30% of the nation's supply), around 12%[72][73][74][75] of its rice production, and around 5%[68][76][77][78] of its milk production, being known asIndia's breadbasket.[79][80]
The percentage of the GDP produced by the agricultural sector was 25% in 2018–19. The growth rate of the agricultural sector was only 2.3% in 2018–19, compared to 6.0% for the state's economy as a whole.[2]
About 80%[81] to 95%[82] of Punjab's agricultural land is owned by itsJat Sikh community despite it only forming 21%[83] of the state's population. About 10% of Punjab's population is made up of migrants from poorer states to the southeast such asUttar Pradesh andBihar who work as farm laborers.[84]
The most grown crop iswheat. Other important crops arerice,cotton,sugarcane,pearl millet,finger millet,sorghum,maize,barley andfruits. Among the fodder crops arebajra andjowar. In the category of fruits, it produces abundant stock ofkinnow. The main sources ofirrigation are canals and tube wells.
Therabi or the spring harvest consists of wheat,gram, barley,potatoes, and winter vegetables. Thekharif or the autumn harvest consists of rice, maize, sugarcane, cotton andpulses.[64]
Rice and wheat are doublecropped in Punjab, with rice stalks being burned off of millions of acres prior to the planting of wheat. This widespread practice is polluting and wasteful.[85]
In Punjab, the consumption of fertiliser per hectare is 223.46 kilograms (492.6 lb) as compared to 90 kilograms (200 lb) nationally. In recent years, a drop in productivity has been observed, mainly due to falling soil fertility. This is believed to be due to excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides over years. Another worry is the rapidly fallingwater table on which almost 90% of the agricultural land depends; alarming drops have been witnessed in recent years. By some estimates, groundwater is falling by 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) or more per year.[86][87]
Issues include paddy-wheat monoculture, lack of diversification, and warnings ofdesertification.[64]
The percentage of the GDP produced by the manufacturing sector was 25% in 2018–19. The growth rate of the manufacturing sector was 5.8% in 2018–19, compared to 6.0% for the state's economy as a whole.[2] A prominent feature of Punjab's industrial landscape are its small sized industrial units. There are nearly 194,000 small scale industrial units in the state in addition to 586 large and medium units.[citation needed]Ludhiana is an important center for industry.[citation needed]
Other major industries include the manufacturing ofscientific instruments, agricultural goods, electrical goods,machine tools,textiles,sewing machines,sports goods,starch,fertilisers,bicycles,garments, and the processing ofpine oil andsugar.[80] Minerals and energy resources also contribute to Punjab's economy to a much lesser extent. Punjab has the largest number of steelrolling mill plants in India, which are in the "Steel Town" ofMandi Gobindgarh in theFatehgarh Sahib district.
The industrial units in the state are broadly divided into three important sectors:agro-based industrial units,machinery units, andchemical units.[citation needed]
As of 2017, there were 8 registered factories that manufactured machinery and other equipments in Punjab who employed 48 workers.[88]
The table below shows the number of registered working factories and workers employed by selected manufacturing industries in Punjab as of 2017.
| Industry | Factories | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic metals | 14 | 305 |
| Machinery and other equipments | 8 | 48 |
| Electrical equipment | 2 | 16 |
| Computers, Electronics and Optical products | 85 | 6,231 |
| Chemicals and chemical products | 21 | 241 |
| Transport equipment | 12 | 322 |
| Furniture | 7 | 45 |
| Paper and paper products | 8 | 132 |
| Non-metallic mineral products | 160 | 1,772 |
| Beverages | 167 | 1,373 |
| Food products and Beverages products | 193 | 2,932 |
The state produces nearly 25% of the best quality cotton in India. Despite having several advantages, there is one major disadvantage to textile production in Punjab; the total spindlage capacity of the state is only 1.5% of the country's.Ludhiana is known as a major manchester producer of India.Batala was once called the "Iron bird of Asia", as it produced the highest amount ofcast iron casting, agricultural, and mechanical machinery.Batala is still one of the leading cities in NorthernIndia in manufacturing of cast iron casting and mechanical machinery.Cotton ginning, weaving, sugar refining and rice milling are some of the other important industries of the region.
Most of the cotton mills are located inAbohar,Malout,Phagwara,Amritsar,Kharar, Mohali andLudhiana. Malerkotla, Abohar, Malout, and Bhatinda are important for cotton ginning and press nearly 25.3million (25,300,000) bales of cotton combined. About 97 million kilograms ofyarn and 36.5 million metres of cloth were produced in Punjab's cottontextile mills. But, only 43% of the cotton yarn formed in Punjab is used within the state, with the remaining sold outside the state. Pesticides introduced during the Green Revolution played an important part in the bustling cotton industry.[90] The most commonbiopesticides in Punjab areBacillus thuringiensis (Bt). With the introduction ofBt, the total cotton farming area in Punjab increased from 449,000 hectares in 2002 to 560,000 hectares in 2005. During this time frame, production of cotton increased from 1.08 million bales (170 kg each) to 2.2 million bales, making up about 11–12% of the country's total production of cotton.[91]
Overalltextile production of Punjab is predictable at 105000 Million Indian Rupee, with 32500 Million Indian Rupee of knitwear, shawls, made-ups (bed sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers, and curtains) and yarns sold abroad. The number of direct and indirect employees of the textile industry in Punjab is around 2 Million people.[citation needed]
In 2014–15, thesteel used in Punjab was about 2000 million tonnes (Mt). This was 13th highest among the Indian states.[92] As of March 2019, the production of moulded steel inMandi Gobindgarh was 3 lakh tonnes per month. The number of functionalfurnaces in the city were 95 androlling mills were 250.[93]
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The sugar mills in Punjab are located inBatala,Gurdaspur,Bhogpur,Phagwara,Nawanshahar,Zira,Morinda, Rakhra,Dhuri,Fazilka,Nakodar,Dasua,Budhewal,Budhladha,Mukerian,Tarn Taran,Ajnala,Faridkot,Jagraon,Amloh, Patran, and Lauhka.
One of the more salient feature of thesugar industry in Punjab is that out of the 22 mills, 15 are in theco-operative sector and 7 are privately owned. Compared to the state ofUttar Pradesh, the size of the sugar mills in Punjab is small. The co-operative sugar mill in Morinda is the biggest in the state with a daily crushing capacity of 4,000 tonnes ofsugarcane. Six of the cooperative sugar mills are inoperative while the remaining nine crush cane during the season.
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The primary source of milk and other dairy products in the statecomes frombuffalo. The state ranks at the top in the country in the availability of milk afterHaryana andGujarat.
The milk plants are mainly located inVerka Town (Amristar district),Ludhiana, Mohali, Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Nabha, Moga, Kot Kapura, and Hamira. The plant inMoga is the biggest plant in the state with a processing capacity of nearly 435 thousand litres.
The firstAmul milk plant in thePunjab state was opened in 2015 inBatala.
In 2018-19, the percentage of Punjab's GDP produced by the services sector was 50%. The growth rate of the services sector was 7.1% in 2018–19, compared to 6.0% for the state's economy as a whole.[2]
The state's bustlingtourism,music,[94][95]culinary, andfilm[96][97] industries contribute to the state's economy, and are amongst the largest in India despite the state's small size and population. This includes India's largest music industry.[98][99][100][101][excessive citations] Punjab also has alarge diaspora of about 3 million that has primarily settled in theUnited Kingdom,United States, andCanada which sends back billions in USD inremittances to the state, playing a major role in its economy.[102]
In 2012, Punjab was one of the highest receivers of overallremittances to India which stood at $66.13 billion, behind Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[103]
Tourism in Punjab centres around historic palaces, battle sites, andSikh architecture of the region.[104] Popular attractions include various sites of theIndus Valley Civilisation, the ancientfort of Bathinda, the architectural monuments ofKapurthala,Patiala, and the modern capital ofChandigarh designed byLe Corbusier.[105] Punjab also has the world's first museum based on the Indian Partition of 1947, in Amritsar, called thePartition Museum.[106]
TheGolden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) ofAmritsar is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Punjab and India as a whole, attracting more visitors than theTaj Mahal.Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 voted the Harmandir Sahib as one of the world's best spiritual sites.[107] There is a rapidly expanding array of international hotels in Amritsar, considered a holy city, at the Heritage Walk Amritsar that can be booked for overnight stays.
Devi Talab Mandir is aHindu temple located inJalandhar. This temple is devoted to goddessDurga[108] and is believed to be at least 200 years old.
Another main tourist destination is the religious and historic city of SriAnandpur Sahib where large number of tourists come to see theVirasat-e-Khalsa (Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex) and take part inHola Mohalla festival.
Qila Raipur Sports Festival is also popular tourist attraction inQila Raipur nearLudhiana.[109][110][111] Shahpur kandi fort,Ranjit Sagar lake and Sikh Temple inSri Muktsar Sahib are other popular attractions inPunjab.
Fatehgarh Sahib is a town and a sacredpilgrimage site inSikhism located in Punjab. It is the headquarters of theFatehgarh Sahib district, located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north ofSirhind. Fatehgarh Sahib is named afterFateh Singh, the 6-year-old son ofGuru Gobind Singh, who was seized and buried alive, along with his 9-year-old brotherZoravar Singh, by the Mughals under the orders of governorWazir Khan during the Mughal-Sikh wars of the early 18th century. The town experienced major historical events after the martyrdom of the sons in 1705, with frequent changes in control between the Sikhs and Mughals. Every year, nearly 1 million devotees come and pay their homage at the Fatehgarh Sahibgurudwara.
All majorbanks that are licensed by RBI operate in Punjab with their branches in every nook and corner of state. Some Punjab-based banks are state owned co-operative bankThe Punjab State Co-operative Bank Limited with its headquarters in Chandigarh,[112] a RRB named Punjab Gramin Bank with its headquarters in Kapurthala[113] and a private bankCapital Small Finance Bank with its headquarters in Jalandhar.[114]
Punjab has relatively well-developed infrastructure, including road,rail, air, and river transport links that are extensive throughout the region. Its transport system is rated one of the best in the country with a ranking of 210 points compared to the national average of 100 in theNational Council Applied Economic Research's (NCAER) infrastructure index. It has highest per capita generation of electricity in India, at 2.5 times the national average. All of Punjab's villages have been electrified and connected to the state electrical power grid since 1974.
All the cities and towns of Punjab are connected by four-lanenational highways. TheGrand Trunk Road, also known as "NH1", connectsKolkata toPeshawar, passing throughAmritsar andJalandhar. National highways passing through the state are ranked the best in the country[by whom?] with widespread road networks that serve isolated towns as well as the border region. Amritsar and Ludhiana are among several Indian cities that have the highest accident rates in India.[115] 97% of villages are connected by metalled roads.
The following expressways pass through Punjab:
The following national highways connect major towns, cities and villages:
Source: NCAER & Punjab Government.[116][better source needed]
There are also abus rapid transit systemAmritsar BRTS in the holy city of Amritsar, popularly known as 'Amritsar MetroBus'[117]
Punjab has six civil airports including two international airports:Amritsar International Airport andChandigarh International Airport; and four domestic airports:Bathinda Airport,Pathankot Airport,Adampur Airport (Jalandhar) andSahnewal Airport (Ludhiana). Apart from these 6 airports, there are 2 airfields at Beas (Amritsar) andPatiala which do not serve any commercial flight operations.
Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport inAmritsar, is a primary airport hub and gateway into Punjab, as the airport directly serves key cities around the world, includingLondon,Singapore,Moscow,Dubai,Birmingham among others.
TheIndian Railways'Northern Railway line runs through the state, connecting most of the major towns and cities. TheShatabdi Express, India's fastest series of train connectsAmritsar toNew Delhi, covering total distance of 449 kilometres (279 mi).Amritsar Junction railway station is the busiest junction of the state.Bathinda Junction holds the record of maximum railway lines from a railway junction in Asia.
Punjab's major railway stations are Amritsar Junction (ASR),Ludhiana Junction (LDH),Jalandhar Cantonment (JRC),Firozpur Cantonment (FZR),Jalandhar City Junction (JUC),Pathankot Junction (PTK) andPatiala railway station (PTA). The railway stations ofAmritsar are included in the Indian Railway's list of 50 world-class railway stations.[118]
The majority of the state's energy is provided byPunjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL) ownedhydropower andthermal plants. These plants include:
In addition to PSPCL owned plants, Punjab gets a share of the energy generated by the Yhdro Power Plants under the control of theBhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The Yhdro Power Plants include:
A new thermal plant inRajpura with a 1400 megawatt power capacity was inaugurated on 8 December 2013. Another Thermal Plant in Bathinda with a 1980 megawatt capacity is in development.
The common pool projects of Punjab are the Bhakra Nangal Complex, theDehar Power Plant, and the Pong Power Plant. Punjab shares about 51% of the Power generated from the Bhakra Nangal Complex and 48% from the Power generated at the Pong Project.[119][better source needed]
Primary and Secondary education in Punjab is mainly affiliated with thePunjab School Education Board. The state is served by several institutions ofhigher education, including 23 universities that provide undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all the major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, veterinary science, and business. Of the universities 10 are private, 9 are public, 1 is central, and 3 aredeemed universities. Reading and writing in thePunjabi language is compulsory tillmatriculation for every student.[120] Failing to provide this education can result in the cancellation of a school's licence or fines.[121]
ThePunjab Agricultural University is a leading institution globally for the study of agriculture and played a significant role in Punjab's Green Revolution of the 1960s–70s. Alumni of thePanjab University, Chandigarh includeManmohan Singh, the formerPrime Minister of India, and Dr.Har Gobind Khorana, abiochemistrynobel laureate. One of the oldest institutions of medical education is theChristian Medical College, Ludhiana, which has existed since 1894.[122] Punjab has 104,000 engineering seats.[123]
There is an existing gap in education between men and women, particularly in the rural areas of Punjab. Of a total of 1300 thousand students enrolled in grades five to eight, only 44% are women.[124]
Punjab has also seen a rise in Yoga andNaturopathy education, with the fields slowly becoming popular and student adopting them as their career. The Board of Naturopathy and Yoga Science (B.N.Y.S.) Regional College, Dinanagar[125] is the very first college opened inDinanagar.[126]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)... The Persians have very little maritime strength ... their ship carpenters on the Caspian were mostly Indians ... there is a little temple, in which the Indians now worship
... The Russian merchant, F.A. Kotov ... saw in Isfahan in 1623, both Hindus and Muslims, as Multanis.
... George Forster ... On the 31st of March, I visited the Atashghah, or place of fire; and on making myself known to the Hindoo mendicants, who resided there, I was received among these sons of Brihma as a brother[permanent dead link]
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