Ranchi: Jharkhand

Ranchi is the capital city of Jharkhand state, India. Ranchi was the center of the Jharkhand movement for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar. Jharkhand was formed on 15th November 2000 by carving out the districts of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas divisions of Bihar. As a part of Bihar, it used to be the summer capital from the time of the British Raj because of its cool climate.

It is not very far from Rajrappa, another seminal place in the state of Jharkhand.

People

2001 census: 2,783,000

Geography and climate

Chhottanagpur consists of three smaller plateaus of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Koderma, and city of Ranchi is located at an altitude of 654 meters above sea level in the plateau of Ranchi. Ranchi was once the summer capital of Bihar. Subarnarekha river flows by the side of the city. The city as well as its immediate hinterland is endowed with several scenic spots.

Ranchi has a salubrious climate. Temperature ranges from maximum 37 to 20 °C during summer, and maximum 22 to 10 °C during winter. The annual rainfall is about 1530 mm.

Education

Ranchi has a good a network of government and privately run schools, although standard of teaching considerably vary from school to school. Most of the government-run schools in Ranchi are affiliated to Jharkhand School Examination Board, whereas most of the private schools are affiliated to ICSE and CBSE boards. A number of schools are run by convents or by the Jesuits missionaries of the Roman Catholic, Gossenor, Evangelical and Lutheran Churches and the Church of North India.

Most of the colleges and institutions of education of Ranchi are under the jurisdiction of Ranchi University.

As the institutions of higher studies fall short of city’s requirement, many students, after completing schooling in the state, move away to places like New Delhi, Karnataka and several other locations for higher technical and non-technical studies.

Ranchi has many schools and institutions of higher learning:

Schools
St. Aloysius’ School, Ranchi
St. Anthony’s School, Ranchi
Delhi Public School, Ranchi
DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali
Loreto Convent, Ranchi
St. Xavier’s, Ranchi
St. Francis School, Harmu Colony, Ranchi
Zila School
St. John’s High School: Established in 1885, its one of oldest schools in the state
Bishop Westcott Boys’ School, Namkum, Ranchi
Bishop Westcott Girls’ School, Namkum, Ranchi
Bishop Westcott Girls’ School, Doranda, Ranchi
Bishop’s School, Bahubazar, Ranchi
Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya, Jagganathpur (School founded by Paramhansa Yogananda)
Lala Lajpat Rai Bal Mandir
Cambridge school, Tati silwai
St. Thomas School, Sector 3
Sacred Heart School, Hulhundu
Kairali School, Sector 2
DAV Public Itki Road, Hehal, Ranchi
Vivekananda Vidya Mandir, Dhurwa, Ranchi
Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dhurwa, Ranchi
St. Louis High School, Harmu,Ranchi [ E.S.T.D 1978 ]
Children’s Educational Centre, Harmu Housing Colony Ranchi [E.S.T.D 1978]
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Dipatoli Cantt

Colleges
St. Xavier’s College: Established in 1940s, its one of the premier centers of higher education in the state.
Xavier Institute of Social Service
Post Graduate Departments of Ranchi University
Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences: Established in 1957, its one of the premier centers of medical education in the state and one of the largest hospital in Asia.
Birla Institute of Technology , Deemed University, Mesra
Birla Institute of Technology, Extension center, Lalpur
Cambridge Institute of Technology, Tati silwai
Ranchi College
St. Paul’s College
Sanjay Gandhi Memorial College
Suraj Singh Memorial College
Chhotanagpur Law College
J. N. College
Marwari Boys’ College
Marwari Girl’s College
Gossner College
Nirmla College
Mahendra Prasad Mahavidyalaya
Ranchi Women’s College

Trade, commerce and industry

On account of its historical position as an important administrative and military base of the eastern India during the British Raj, Ranchi developed as an important centre of trade and commerce, including a traditional base for sericulture and manufacture of shellac. Villages around Ranchi has been described as the ‘vegetable bowl’ of Jharkhand and truckloads of green vegetables are transported from the city to different parts of Jharkhand, Bihar, as also to Calcutta.

After India gained independence, Ranchi continued to grow and a number of industrial facilities were located in and around the city, and it emerged as an important industrial center. Along with other two industrial townships of Jamshedpur and Bokaro, it completes the industrial structure of Jharkhand. Major techno-industrial facilities of Ranchi include Heavy Engineering Corporation, Mecon, SAIL’s RandD Facility, High Tension Insulator factory, CCL, CMPDI, IICM, USHA MARTIN,[USHA BELTRON]] and Shipping Corporation of India.

Mental Sanatorium of Ranchi

Ranchi has one of the largest facility for mentally-challenged patients at Kanke. There are three major hospitals taking care of patients with psychiatric illnesses.

1) Central Institute of Psychiarty, Kanke

2) RINPAS, Kanke

3) Davis Institute of Psychiatry, Kanke