Bathinda is located in the southern part of Punjab and Punjabi is the native and official language. It is the fifth largest city of Punjab with a population of 3,00,000 and is part of the Bathinda district. According to the census report of 2011, the population of the district is 1.3 million, out of which about 40 percent are in the working age. 48 percent of the working population is engaged in the agriculture sector, 49 percent in the services and industrial sector and 3 percent in the household industry. Two major cement plants of India are based in Bathinda: Ambuja Cement and Ultra Tech Cement. Other large industries include the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant and National Fertilizer Ltd. Bathinda is prominent in the trade and commerce of cotton products and food grains in North India. It was an important city during Indias freedom struggle, as is evident from incidents such as the Namdhari Movement, The Ghadar Movement and The Punjab Ryasti Praja Mandal Movement .The entire district witnessed a lot of bloodshed during partition. The city is also famous for Qila Mubarak where the first empress of India, Razia Sultan was imprisoned.
