Jharkhand was formed in
November 2000, by the bifurcation of Bihar. Tribals constitute 28 per
cent of the population, and forests occupy 29 per cent of the land area.
More than 85 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture for
their livelihood. Area under irrigation is 0.157 million hectares. The
main crops grown are rice, millets, maize, groundnut, chilli, vegetables
and fruits like mango, lichi and melon. The State has rich mineral
deposits of coal, cooking coal, copper, iron ore, mica, bauxite, quartz,
manganese, limestone and clay. Major industries in the State are steel,
ceramic, mining, tourism and fruit processing. The State has hot
summers, cold winters and the rainfall is heavy in the monsoon months.