Видарбха: Махараштраның шығыс аймағының тарихы мен мәселелері

Eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra

Vidarbha (Pronunciation: [ʋid̪əɾbʱə]) is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a proposed state of western India, comprising the state's Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Amravati Division's former name is Berar (Varhad in Marathi). It occupies 31.6% of the total area and holds 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra. It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Uttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west. Situated in central India. The largest city in Vidarbha is Nagpur followed by Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur and Gondia. A majority of Vidarbha residents speak Varhadi and Zadi dialects of Marathi. The Nagpur region is known for growing oranges and cotton. Vidarbha holds two thirds of Maharashtra's mineral resources and three quarters of its forest resources, and is a net producer of power. Throughout its history, Vidarbha has remained much calmer than the rest of India, especially during the communal troubles. However, there is considerable poverty and malnutrition. It is less economically prosperous compared to the rest of Maharashtra. The living conditions of farmers in this region are poor compared to India as a whole. There have been more than 200,000 farmers' suicides in Maharashtra in a decade, of which 70% being in the 11 districts of the Vidarbha region. There have been recent calls for a separate state of Vidarbha, due to perceived neglect from the Government of Maharashtra and incompetent political leadership in Vidarbha. Being politically and financially distinct from the rest of Maharashtra, the calls for a separate state rose to prominence only when the leaders from this region were sidelined by other political leaders in recent years. Statehood demands have not been fulfilled mainly due to the opposition from the Shiv Sena, a major state political party. Total GDP of Vidrbha in 2021 22 ₹478422 lakh crore rupees around 57 billion usa dollars in 2021 22 financial year

According to the epic Mahabharata and other Puranic scriptures, Princess Rukmini who married the lord Krishna was born to Bhishmaka — the king of Vidarbha kingdom—and had five elder brothers Rukmi, Rukmaratha, Rukmabahu, Rukmakesa and Rukmanetra. Vidarbha was part of the Satavahana Empire/Andhra Empire (1st century BCE 2nd century CE), as suggested by Satavahana coin finds in Pauni.

Nagpur was the capital of the Berar Subah, known as the Gulshan e Berar in the Medieval period, from the rule of the Khaljis to the Mughals, according to the Ain i Akbari and Alamgir Namah. In 1724, when Nizam ul Mulk Asaf Jah declared independence, the existence of Berar as a Mughal Subah came to an end. It became (though nominally) a part of Hyderabad State ruled by Nizams based in the present day city of Hyderabad, through the right of collecting chauth were held by Maratha Empire.

Though the Vidarbha region lies in central India but is currently a part of the Maharashtra, a Western Indian state. The Central Provinces legislature unanimously passed a resolution fo r the creation of the 'Mahavidarbha' state on 1 October 1938 at Nagpur. Maharashtra's former CM Devendra Fadnavis and current Deputy chief minister said that the Bharatiya Janata Party supported the creation of a Vidarbha state.

Vidarbha lies on the northern part of the Deccan Plateau. Unlike the Western Ghats, there are no major hilly areas. The Satpura Range lies to the north of Vidarbha region in Madhya Pradesh. The Melghat area of Amravati district is on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Range. Large basaltic rock formations exists throughout Vidarbha, part of the 66 million year old volcanic Deccan Traps. Bhandara and Gondia district are entirely occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium, making their geology unique in Maharashtra.

The Poorna basin lies in Western Vidarbha, and gets its name from Poorna river which flows through it. It comprises Akola, Amaravati and Buldhana districts of Vidarbha. The region has extremely high innate soil and water salinity, because of which it is often referred to as "kharpan patta" in Marathi. It means a high soil and water salinity.

Religion in Vidarbha is characterized by the diversity of religious beliefs and practices. Vidarbha possesses six of the world's major religions; namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Christianity, and Sikhism. According to the 2011 census, Hinduism was the principal religion in the state at 76.91% of the total population, while Buddhists constituted 13.08 of the total population. Vidarbha accounts for 45.91% of total Buddhists in Maharashtra. As per the 2011 census, 73.72% of the population speaks Marathi, 8.30% Hindi, 6.23% Urdu, 2.58% Lambadi, 1.83% Gondi, 1.10% Korku and 1.02% Telugu as their first language. The Nagpur Central Museum (est. (established) 1863) maintains collections that are mainly from Vidarbha.

Nagpur is a hub for business and healthcare. Amravati is known for film distributors and cloth markets. Yavatmal is a cotton city and is an exporter of cotton. Raymond UCO Denim Pvt. Ltd. is situated in Yavatmal. Chandrapur has a thermal power station which is one of the biggest in India and some other heavy industries such as paper (BILT Ballarpur), steel (MEL from Steel Authority of India), cement industries (UltraTech Cement, Ambuja Cements, ACC Limited, Manikgarh Cement, Murli Cement) and numerous coal mines. MIHAN (Multi modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur) is an international cargo hub. MIHAN is for handling heavy cargo coming from South East Asia and the Middle East. The project also includes a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for information technology companies.

Vidarbha has recently gained notoriety for the number of suicides committed by farmers. On 1 July 2006 the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh announced a 3,750 crore (37.5 billion rupee) relief package for Vidarbha. The package is intended to help farmers in six districts of the region. However the package was not welcomed by most financial pundits and journalist P Sainath wrote in The Hindu that the package was destined to fail. Corruption was found amongst most of the officials involved with the packages and the government considered suspension of more than 400 officials in the scam.

Nagpur, Amravati, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara form the main mineral belt, with coal and manganese as the major minerals. Chandrapur district contributes 29% of all mineral output of Maharashtra. Iron ore and limestone are identified as potential mining resources.

Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Wardha and Chandrapur are Large Industrial center in Vidarbha resp. Ballarpur Industries, India's largest manufacturer and exporter of paper is located in Chandrapur district.

Cricket is the most popular sport in the region and Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) has hosted international cricket matches. It has been superseded by the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, built in 2008 in Jamtha.

Vidarbha is represented at the national level by 10 Lok Sabha seats. Nagpur district, which has the highest population density, is split into 2 Lok Sabha seats, Nagpur and Ramtek, while districts with lower population density like Chimur and Gadchiroli are clubbed together. Yavatmal Washim is one of the most important seats in Vidharbha, as it includes 2 district headquarters. Ramtek and Amravati seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, while Gadchiroli Chimur is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

Vidarbha is represented at the state level by 62 Vidhan Sabha seats. Nagpur has the densest concentration of assembly seats with the city divided into 6 areas. Amravati, Akola and Yavatmal are some of the most important seats in Maharashtra. Certain seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, while others are open to all. Pusad seat in Yavatmal District is also important as it has given 2 Chief Ministers to Maharashtra.

Politician and economist Dr. Shrikant Jichkar opposed separation of Vidarbha from Maharashtra, believing that it was not sustainable: "If Vidarbha is hived off, we will have no funds from day one to run the new State. The region's share is burdened by a deficit and Monopoly Cotton Purchase Scheme, Employment Guarantee Scheme and such activity will immediately cease since we would not have money to pay salaries." He noted that income from available natural resources could not balance Mumbai's subsidies, and that Mumbai's cooperation was vital to any development—in addition to the societal risks of dividing the Marathi speaking state.