Haora is the 38th most populous city of India with a total population of 10,77,075. Highest employment in Haora is in Agriculture, Engineering, Chemical and other household industries. The district has 14% of the workforce employed in the Agricultural Sector, 69% in the Industrial Sector and the remaining 17% are Household workers. Haora, located on the west bank of the Hoogli River, it is a twin city to Kolkata. The major crops cultivated are Rice, Sunflower, Mustard, Linseed, Jute, Potato. Apart from these, horticultural crops like Mango, Papaya, Guava, Brinjal, Cabbage, Cauliflower are also produced. The history of the city of Howrah dates back over 500 years, but the district is situated in an area historically occupied by the ancient Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. Venetian explorer Cesare Federici, who travelled in India during 1565–79, mentioned a place called Buttor in his journal circa 1578. As per his description, this was a location into which large ships could travel (presumably the Hoogli River) and perhaps a commercial port. By 1914 almost every major city in India was served by the Railways and the increased demand for its rolling stocks and repair works resulted in the establishment of railway workshop in Howrah. The light engineering industry grew up after 1914. Today, Howrah is famous for Howrah Station and Howrah Bridge.
