Bhilai is a city in the district of Durg, Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. With an urban population of 1,064,222 Bhilai–Durg is the second largest urban area after Raipur in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Bhilai is a major industrial city in India as well as an education hub of central India.
Etymology
It is believed that the name "Bhilai" is derived from the Bhil tribe which originally inhabited this region and continues to dwell in the nearby forests until today.
History
Bhilai was a small village and a part of the Haihaivanshi Kingdom until 1740, when it was conquered by the Marathas. It was administered by the British from 1853 until 1947, when it merged with the Indian union. The foundation of the modern city of Bhilai was laid in 1955 when the Indian government signed a historic agreement with the Soviet Union in Magnitogorsk to establish a steel plant near the village. The first blast furnace of the plant was commissioned in 1959 by the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Demographics
Population
In the 2011 census, Bhilai Nagar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,064,222, of which 545,916 are males and 518,306 are females. Bhilai has an average literacy rate of 86.63%, male literacy is 92.22% and, female literacy is 80.71%.
Owing to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, Bhilai has a tropical climate. There are three main seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. The average annual temperature in Bhilai is 26.6 °C and the city receives an average rainfall of 1188 mm in a year. Summers usually last from May to June, followed by monsoons in July and August. The town receives the bulk of rainfall in July, with an average rainfall of 352mm. There is little rainfall during the winters, with November being the driest month of the year.
Industry
Bhilai is home to the Bhilai Steel Plant, the first Indian plant to produce steel rails, which was established with help from the Soviet Union in 1955. Iron ore from Rajhara, limestone from Nandini, coal from Jharia, manganese from Balaghat, electric power from the Kosa thermal power plant, and water from the Tandula Canal, all nearby, are used in the Bhilai Steel Plant to manufacture rails and structural steel. Pig iron and billets are supplied to foundries and rolling mills located at Kumhari and other sites in central India. The amount of steel rails produced by the facility can go around the circumference of the earth 7 times. This is depicted on the monument at the globe square in the heart of the city. The facility underwent modernization and expansion, and is amongst leading manufacturer of iron and steel in Asia Apart from that Bhilai houses several other PSU & private firms - Jaypee Cement, NSPCL Bhilai Power Plant, SAIL Refactory Unit, FSNL, ACC - Jamul Cement Works, VS Industries, ATMASTCO, Engineering Park, Adhunik Group of Industries, Shivalik Group of Industries, Bhilai Engineering Corporation.Ltd, Shri Balaji Industries, Golden Engineering Industries, Supreme Industries, Porwal Group of Companies, Simplex Castings.Ltd, Beekay Steels, Shivam Hi Tech Steels, etc.
