History
Chhattisgarh carved out of Madhya Pradesh came into being on 1 November 2000 as the 26th State of the Union. It fulfills the long-cherished demand of the tribal people. In ancient times the region was known as Dakshin-Kausal. This finds mention in Ramayana and Mahabharata also. Between the sixth and twelfth centuries Sarabhpurias, Panduvanshi, Somvanshi, Kalchuri, and Nagvanshi rulers dominated this region. Kalchuris ruled in Chhattisgarh from 980 to 1791 AD. With the advent of Britishers in 1854 Raipur gained prominence instead of capital Ratnapur. In 1904 Sambalpur was transferred to Orissa and estates of Sarguja were transferred from Bengal to Chhattisgarh.

Festivals
Chhattisgarh is famous for its festivals. Pola, Nawakhai, Dussehara, Deepavali, Holi, Govardhan Pooja are celebrated with gaiety and festivity.

ECONOMY
Agriculture

More than 80 per cent population depends on agriculture. The area under cultivation is 43 per cent. Main crops are paddy, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds. Forests occupy 45 per cent of the area

Industry

Apart from Bhilai Steel Plant with 40 lakh tonnes capacity, eight sponge iron plants in the private sector, 13 ferro-alloy plants, 125 steel rolling mills and one H.R. strip plant have also been establishes. Chhattisgarh has nine major cement plants. Besides, iron casting units, engineering and fabrication units, agro-based food processing, chemical and plastic industries have been established.

Mineral Resources

Chhattisgarh is rich in mineral resources. Twenty per cent of the country's steel and cement is produced in the State. Iron-ore, limestone, dolomite, coal, bauxite are found in abundance. It is the only tin-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals such as korandum, garnet, quartz, marble, diamond are also found in Chhattisgarh. Compared to 1998-1999, the production of coal, iron ore and limestone registered an increase of 29,49 lakh tonnes, 13.40 lakh tonnes and 30.13 lakh tonnes respectively in 1999-2000. The revenue receipt from minerals in 2001-02 is likely to increase to Rs. 455 crore from Rs. 394.50 crore during the preceding year.

Irrigation and Power

The irrigation potential of 13.39 lakh hectares was created during 1999-2000. An additional irrigation potential of 0.18 lakh hectares was created during 2000-01. Ravishankar Sagar Mahanadi Project, Hasdeo-Bango, Kodar, Jonk, Pairi and Arpa are some of the important irrigation projects.

The total capacity of state Electricity Board is 1.360 MW out of this the thermal power share is 1.240 MW. Korba based National thermal Power Corporation's capacity is 2,000 MW and a new unit of the plant is being stage of commissioning. Around 90%pf 19,720 inhabited villages of Chhattisgarh have been electrified.

Tourism- Raipur

Raipur is the capital of the newly formed State of Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on 1st November 2000. The city believed to be founded in the 14th century AD by the Kalchuri King Ram Chandra is centrally located in Chattisgarh. Raipur is the biggest city of the region and a fast developing important industrial centre. The city lying on the Mumbai - Nagpur - Haora mainline, is well connected by air and rail and is a good base to visit the tourist centers of the region.

While the State administration is based in Raipur, a new capital for Chhattisgarh at an investment of Rs. 40,000 crore on an area of 36,000 hectares to accommodate 5.4 lakh people is being planned. In the 1st phase of the project to be completed by 2011, ambitious commercial and residential projects in Chhattisgarh will be executed. An IT Park, a township with a golf course, a capitol complex and a five-star hotel will be developed by IL &FS Infrastructure Development Corporation, partners and advisors to the project. The 2nd and 3rd phases of the city will be completed by 2021 and 2031.

Chhattisgarh has attracted considerable foreign direct investment, such as the Greenfield coal-based power generation plant by US based AES Corporation at a cost of $1.22 billion. Investment in infrastructure and industrial projects has also been forthcoming from Indian business houses. -the Vedanta Group, BALCO and The Tata Power Company will make investments worth Rs. 20,000 crore in steel, aluminium and power generation. The state is actively pursuing the bio-diesel project from Jatropha plantations.

While the State depends heavily on agriculture, the thrust is on industrial development, and particularly Information Technology. The State aims to make substantial investments in IT by building on educational and training facilities and R&D infrastructure. Establishing of software parks and invitations to private investment in IT infrastructure is high on the state’s agenda.

The state Government has also taken initiatives to promote Chhattisgarh as a “tourist destination of choice”. It has announced tax incentives and other sops to the private sector for investment in the hospitality sector in Chhatisgarh. A camp site near the Chitrakote waterfalls, open air amphitheatre at Rajim, and a herbal resort at Asna are some of the facilities the Chhatisgarh Tourism board has developed. Other attractions include Kawardha and Bastar.

Real Estate Development in Chhattisgarh

Though still in its nascent stages, real estate in Chhattisgarh is expected to develop rapidly in the next decade. Apart from the new state capital, new townships by PACL India are being planned on 5000 acres in various districts of Chhattisgarh. PACL’s real estate investments in Chhattisgarh include the construction of 1,000 houses each in Raipur and Bilaspur for all categories of buyers.

Chhatisgarh’s capital city is experiencing a retail boom. Property developers are drawing up plans for commercial projects in Raipur - Prabhatam Developers will build a 3.5 lakh sq.ft shopping mall, as will the Mani group from Kolkata on 4 lakh sq. ft. A Regional Trade Centre on a 50 acre stretch is also being planned near Mandi. Omaxe will build an IT Park in Raipur.

Residential property development in Chhattisgarh is being propelled by real estate builders Omaxe, Bengal Ambuja and Merlin Projects with mega housing complexes.

Commercial property development in Chhattisgarh will receive a boost with the Reliance group’s investment of Rs. 1 billion in developing multiplexes in Raipur, Bhilai, Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh, Ambikapur and Rajnandgaon.

Chhattisgarh has a fair share of Industrial Parks – the Bhilai steel plant and the BALCO aluminium plant in Korba have attracted ancillary industries. In the Borai Industrial Park in Durg, Industrial Growth Centres in Urla and Siltara near Raipur, and in the Sirgitti Growth Centre in Bilaspur, manufacturing and commercial activity is expected to pick up, as land is ready for allotment.

Apart from the regular Industrial Estates, large tracts of land have been reserved and earmarked in various districts for mega-projects.

The future of the hospitality segment is bright, as the state’s dense forests, caves, waterfalls, rich bio-diversity and handicrafts have the potential to develop into popular tourist attractions. The Taj Hotels Group, International Park Plaza, Sterling Resorts and Club Mahindra have displayed interest in setting up operations in places of tourist interest in Chhattisgarh.

The trouble free industrial environment of the state, with its excellent work culture and labour relations is conducive to the rapid growth of off-shore software development centres, BPOs and call centres. The State is committed to extend appropriate financial and operational support to entrepreneurs and enterprises in the software and hardware industry. In this context, real estate in Chhatisgarh is poised for major growth.