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West Bengal with a population of around 83 million account for 7.6 per cent of the country's population. The state's geographical area of 89,000 sq.kms. covers 2.7 per cent of the country's geographical area. The State has 19 districts and Calcutta is the State's capital. There are 23 towns with a population of over 100,000. Population density is 904 persons per sq.km.
The State has well developed
- Communication network
- Extensive railway system
- Domestic/international airports
- Modern ports
- National highway
The State's natural wealth is amongst the best in the country.
Agriculture is mainstay of about 70 per cent population. The land usage in West Bengal - arable land 62.8 per cent (55,414 sq.kms), forests 13.38 per cent and the rest for other purposes. West Bengal has large reserves of coal in the Raniganj coal belt region. Other minerals include dolomite, limestone and china clay. Major crops include
- Rice
- Wheat
- Jute
- Tea
- Potato
- Sugarcane
- Pulses
- Oilseeds
- Forest produce
West Bengal is predominantly services economy - 53 per cent of the state GDP comes from the services sector. Agriculture and industry contributes around 47 per cent.
The Monthly Review of West Bengal gives an updated and analytical view of the state's economy. The sectors broadly covered in the review include
- Agriculture
- Rainfall
- Irrigation
- Forest
- Fisheries
- Livestock
- Infrastructure
- Industry
- Investments in the State
- Corporate sector
- Small scale industry
- State public finance
- Banking
- Consumer price index
- Small savings
- Social sector, etc.
The Monthly Review of the West Bengal Economy is part of the State Analysis Service.
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