Located five kilometers from Kalyan, Ulhasnagar was known as the Kalyan Military Transit Camp during the British Raj, that had been set up specifically to accommodate thousands of soldiers during World War II. After the war and at the time of Indias independence, the deserted camp was selected to rehabilitate over 1,00,000 Sindhi speaking Hindu refugees from the newly created West Pakistan. On August 8, 1949, the first and last Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari, laid the foundation stone for the new township of Ulhasnagar (literally city of joy) that lay in close proximity to the Ulhas Plateau and its valley. Marathi and Sindhi are the widely spoken languages in this largest enclave of Sindhis in India. A suburban railway station was built in 1955. Situated 58 km from Mumbai, Ulhasnagar is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and comes under the Thane district. Ulhasnagar has a total population of 5,06,000 and a literacy rate of over 87 percent. According to the 2011census, Thane district has a total population of 11 million, a literacy rate of over 84 percent and 41 percent of the population is part of the workforce. This includes 17 percent engaged in the agriculture sector, 3 percent in the household industry and the bulk 80 percent working in industry services sectors. Ulhasnagar is one of the largest denim jeans manufacturing and export regions of India. There are various small scale manufacturing units involved in Confectionary, Textile Weaving, Furniture, Printing Presses, electronics, rayon silk, dyes and ready-made garments.
