Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities.
Ranchi is the capital city and second largest city of the Indian state of Jharkhand and also the administrative headquarter of Ranchi district. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area of what is present-day Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas. Ranchi is being developed as Smart City because it was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.
Dhanbad is the second-most populated city in the Indian state of Jharkhand after Jamshedpur. It ranks as the 39th largest city in India and is the 33rd largest million-plus urban agglomeration in India. Dhanbad shares its land borders with Paschim Bardhaman district and Purulia district of West Bengal and Bokaro, Giridih and Jamtara districts of Jharkhand. The city is called the 'Coal Capital of India' for housing one of the largest coal mines in the country. The prestigious institute, Indian School of Mines is situated in Dhanbad. Apart from coal, it has also grown in information technology.
The Jharkhand Party (JP) is one of the oldest political parties in India. formed on 5 March 1949 by Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda in Ranchi. The party grew out of the demand for a separate Jharkhand state.
The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon or Dhangad, are a Dravidian speaking ethnolinguistic group inhabiting Chhotanagpur Plateau and adjoining areas - mainly the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal. They predominantly speak Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. In Maharashtra, Oraon people are also known as Dhangad.
Maria Nirmala Joshi was an Indian religious sister who succeeded Nobel laureate Mother Teresa as the head of the Missionaries of Charity and expanded the movement overseas. After taking over the charity following Mother Teresa's death in 1997, Nirmala expanded the organisation's reach to 134 countries by opening centres in nations such as Afghanistan and Thailand.
Bindeshwar Pathak was an Indian sociologist and social entrepreneur. He was the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organisation promoting human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. He was the Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of Indian Railways, a complement to the broader Swachh Bharat Mission. His work is considered pioneering in social reform, especially in the field of sanitation and hygiene. He received various national and international awards for his work with this organisation. He was presented with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management for the year 2017. He was conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, posthumously in 2024 and the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 1991.
Camille Bulcke was a Belgian Jesuit missionary in India who came to be known as "India's most renowned Christian Hindi scholar".
Mridula Sinha was an Indian writer and politician who served as Governor of Goa from August 2014 to October 2019. She was the first woman Governor of Goa.
Kranti Shah is an Indian social worker and the founder and director of Yuvak Biradari (Bharat) which is a voluntary, social, educational, cultural and youth movement of India. He has championed the cause of social welfare and youth development since 1974. He was awarded the Padma Shri by Govt. of India in 2010 in the field of Social work
Ram Dayal Munda, known as R. D. Munda, was an Indian scholar and regional music exponent. He was awarded the Padma Shri of the year 2010 for his contribution to the field of art.
Koderma Junction railway station, station code KQR, is railway station of the Indian railway under Dhanbad railway division of East Central Railway zone serving the city of Jhumri Telaiya near by Koderma city, the headquarters of Koderma district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Grand Chord rail-line that connects Howrah and New Delhi passes through Koderma Junction. In this station, 4 Vande Bharat Express, 2 Rajdhani Express & 1 Duronto Express halts here.
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India on 2 October 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management and to create Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages. The program also aims to increase awareness of menstrual health management. It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan which was launched by the Congress in 2009.
Gutta Muniratnam was an Indian social worker, a member of the National Planning Commission of India and the founder of Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS), a non governmental organization engaged in the social welfare activities in over 2500 socio-economically backward villages in the Rayalaseema region, spread across the present day states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Champions of Change (COC) is an Indian award for promoting Indian values like community service, social development, healthcare, education and national unity, selected by constitutional jury members headed by K. G. Balakrishnan, the Former Chief Justice of India and Former Chairman NHRC and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India. The awards are organised annually and usually presented by the President of India, Vice President of India, former President of India, former Vice president of India or any leading political figure of India.
Mukund Nayak, is an Indian artist. He is a folk singer, songwriter and dancer. Nayak is an exponent of Nagpuri folk dance Jhumar. He is recipient of the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Jitender Singh Shunty, is an Indian politician and social worker. Shunty was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly from Shahdara from Bhartiya Janta Party in 2013. He is the founder of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal, an NGO that helps to cremate unclaimed bodies and immerse the ashes as guided by the Hindu and Sikh religion. It all started after an incident in 1996 at a crematorium.
Sunita Devi is an Indian mason honoured for building toilets. In her village 90% of the women did not have access to a toilet. After her work they all now have access. She was given the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2019 by the President of India.
