Narmada

Narmadi Socialist Federation ਨਰਮਦੀ ਸੋਸ਼ਲਿਸਟ ਸੰਘਾਤੰਤਰ Naramadī Sōśalisaṭa Saṅghatatara समाजवादी महासंघ नर्मदा Samaajavaadee Mahaasangh Narmadi
Flag Emblem
Motto:  परिभ्रमण, शान्ति च सन्तनि Paribhramaṇa, śānti ca śāntani Revolution, peace and harmony
Anthem:  वन्दे मातरम् Vande Mataram Mother, I bow to thee
Capital and largest city	Jamnagar
Official languages	Hindi Urdu Punjabi
Recognised regional languages	Assamese Bengali Kashmiri Sanskrit
Ethnic groups	See Ethnicity
Demonym(s)	Narmadi
Government	Federal single party socialist state
• Chief Secretary	Sreedar Singh
• Vice Secretary	Narendra Deva
• Speaker of the Lokam Kangrasa	Leela Nambiar
Legislature	Lokam Kongarasa
Establishment
• Narmadi Unification	1952
• Gasheng and Chigup admitted	1953
• Current constitution	1973
• Water (%)	1.3%
Population
• 2017 estimate	368,667,959
• 2010 census	361,202,879
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$2.68 trillion
• Per capita	$7,778
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$54.48 billion
• Per capita	$1,487
Gini (2017)	33.9 medium
HDI (2017)	0.601 medium
Currency	Narmadi rupiah (Nr)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+49

Narmada, officially the Narmadi Socialist Federation (Punjabi: ਨਰਮਦੀ ਸੋਸ਼ਲਿਸਟ ਸੰਘਾਤੰਤਰ; Naramadī Sōśalisaṭa Saṅghatatara; NSS) is a federal socialist single party state located in southern Borea. It is the X-largest country by area, the X-most populous country (with over 360 million people), and the most populous socialist state in the world. It is bounded by the Central Ocean on the south. It shares land borders with Kadaria to the west, Xiaodong to the north and XX and Min to the east. Its capital and largest city is Jamnagar, it is also the country's cultural and economic hub.

The area of Narmada today was home to the urban XXX Civilisation of the Xd millennium BCE. In the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Early political consolidations took place under the Barya and Naryatyah empires. In the medieval era, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Baha'i arrived, and Sikhism emerged, all adding to the region's diverse culture. Much of the west fell to the Chiplun Empire; the east was united under the Devarian Empire. In the mid-18th century, Narmada fell under foreign domination and saw territory ceded to colonial powers, what remained became highly fractured and disorganised. In 1919, the Narmadi Raj collapsed into numerous statelets and warlord controlled regions. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, central Narmada fell under the control of the Narmadi Workers and Peasants Union and its Narmadi People's Unification Front, sparking the Narmadi Revolution. In 1950, the NPUF launched a series of offensives against warlords and princely states, culminating in the unification of Narmada and the establishment of the Socialist Federation in 1954. In 1955, the NPUF seized control of Gasheng, then known as XX, a de-facto satellite state of Xiaodong.

Despite entrenched ideological opposition to economic reform, Narmada has been one of the consistently growing economics in Borea, averaging 5% since 1975. Recent economic reforms aimed at opening up the national economy and industrialisation has pushed growth toward 7% consistently since 2010. In 2016, the Narmadi economy was the world's XX largest by nominal GDP and XXX largest by purchasing power parity. Moderating economic policies and reforms on market lines has permitted the country to maintain its fast growth rates and fund dramatic improvements to wages, standards of living and education. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, and inadequate public healthcare. Narmada is a federal syndicalist republic governed under a singe-party parliamentary system and consists of 10 communes and 2 autonomous territories. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

History

Second Imperial Era (1860-1906)

Main article: Second Narmadi Empire

Fractured Era (1906-1921)

Main article: Fractured Era

Following the collapse of the Second Empire in 1906, the territory of modern-day Narmada splintered into various statelets, self-proclaimed successor states and ethnically homogenous nations. Most of these new territories were divided between monarchical Princely States and loose alliances of armed bands under charismatic and influential individuals. By 1907, Narmada had fractured into over 30 distinct territories and factions.

Ludihanian cavalry in 1917 readying for action against the forces under Sudarshan Sashtri in northern Kokrajhar.

While the Second Empire had failed to stem the rising tide of foreign influence and exploitation, its collapse only further emboldened foreign powers, who regularly used the vulnerabilities of the new statelets to gain economic leverage and exclusive access to resources and markets.

Between 1906 and 1913, the fractured nation saw relative peace, albeit for widespread criminality, roving bands of militia and sporadic fighting between the various Princely States and military cliques. However, the immense devastation from the Borean War and the Empire’s collapse was inadequately confronted, maintaining the crippling shortages of food. Famine and internecine tensions resulted in the so-called Harvest War (1913-1919), which saw the various statelets fight over food supplies. The Harvest War, exacerbated the devastation and social upheaval, while reducing the number of statelets from 36 to 13 as weaker groups were destroyed or absorbed into more capable factions, the Harvest War had also ruptured long-term peace and co-habitation between religious groups and left over a million dead. The loss of life, ruin and starvation ultimately fed into the rise of the Narmadi Worker’s and Peasant’s Union (NWPU) in Vikaragar in 1921.

Bhatiyara, the capital of Ludihana by 1920 had emerged as the most prosperous and modern city in Narmada.

Despite the continued instability, several regions of Narmada enjoyed increasing peace and prosperity. The two major powers in Narmada during this period was the Kingdom of Ludihana in the south and Jamkandorana Clique in the north. Both successfully restored agriculture and actively traded with the international powers. Both successfully expanded during the 1910s through diplomacy and military force, expanding their stability and prosperity.

Civil War and unification (1921-1952)

Main article: Narmadi Wars of Unification

In wake of the NWPU in 1921, the group under the Gang of Five (Gurcharan Dal, Kodandera Chaudhuri, Davendra Pada Ray, Jitan Kumar and Kedar Parsad) began agitating local farmers and peasants Vikaragar region. Based in the town of Jalandhar, the NWPU leadership sought to use the chaos and devastation of the Harvest War to gain traction with the starving masses. On April 9 1921, the gang of five successfully led the town in revolt against the local strongman, Javinda Rathpat. The leadership assumed control of the town while dispatching cadres out to rural communities across Vikaragar.

File:NarmadaUnification.gif

Map showing the phases of Narmadi unification led by the Narmadi People's Republic.

By the end of 1921 the NWPU boasted over 90,000 members and an estimated 100,000 supporters throughout Vikaraga. They achieved this through the use of Jalandhar as a safe haven, allowing the party to coordinate with Cadres across Narmada, but most importantly in the immediate region. NWPU militias would defend peasants from bandits and mercenaries, while also distributing food and water, securing the support of locals. Tensions with local cliques and strongmen throughout 1922 and 1923 usually resulted in military action by the NWPU, coinciding with local uprisings, allowing the party to expand its territory across the region. In 1924, the Gang of Five declared their intention of liberating all of Vikaraga, launching the War of Vikaraga. Over the next two years, the NWPU overthrew numerous warlords and petty princes, eventually capturing the entire region in 1926.

Haridwarian soldiers during the Central Campaign in 1933.

In wake of their victory, the NWPU formally declared the formation of the Narmadi People’s Republic on August 3 1926. The formation of the NPR would be the final catalyst for the Narmadi Wars of Unification, as it would over the next three decades fight warlords and princes in aim of uniting the entire country. Between 1926 and 1928, the NPR and the newly formed United Army for Narmadi Liberation (UANL) launched coordinated attacks against neighbouring warlord cliques and smaller princely states in the regions of Nainital and Kangra. The NPR grew by over 20,000km² and its population grew from 14.5 million to well over 30 million. In response to the revolutionary threat, warlord cliques aligned with the Princely State of Haridwar to contain the NPR in what became known as the First Northern Campaign, which began in 1930 and ended in 1935, and saw the Haridwar Alliance successfully halt the NPR's advance at the cost of an estimated 4 million people.

The emergence of Dalbir Mathrandas Nanda during the First Northern Campaign would prove pivotal in the final wars of unification. A highly capable strategist he dramatically reformed the NPR's military, developing a strategy designed to take full advantage of divisions between the NPR's rivals.

The First Northern Campaign, although a success for the Haridwar Alliance soon bought allies into conflict with each other. Between 1935 and 1940, the devastated northern regions would be further crippled as the warlord cliques fought intermittently against themselves, while Haridwar sought to expand its area of control as a means of empowering itself in face of its growing rivalry with Ludihana. During this time the NPR focused much of its efforts on reconstruction and further entrenching the revolution, establishing ties with the Socialist Confederation of Council Republics, which began providing weapons, military trainers and aircraft from 1937 onward. In 1938, the Gang of Five appointed General Dalbir Mathrandas Nanda as Chief Commander of the newly reformed Narmadi Worker's Army. Nanda had proven himself a highly capable strategist and tactician during the Northern Campaign and moved swiftly to develop a doctrine for the NWA that would ensure further victories over rival players in Narmada. In 1939, he presented a plan to the Gang of Five dubbed the "Breaching the Cracks", in which he argued the divisions between the warlords and princes could be used to divide and conquer toward Narmadi unification. He also argued that NWPU cadres within rival states could be used for behind-the-lines attacks and operations, his strategy was accepted by the Gang of Five and by late 1939, Nanda had successfully laid in place the necessary operational plans to execute the new strategy.

On December 28 1939, Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar VII of Haridwar was shot dead by Pan-Narmadi nationalist reportedly linked to the Charamracore Clique, sparking a military conflict. Using the distraction, the NPR launched a series of devastating offensives into the central regions of Narmada. Under Nanda, the NWA scored swift victories over smaller neighbouring cliques, capturing the city of Indapur by February 1940. The conflict between Haridwar and Charamracore split the former Hardiwar Alliance, denying the NPR any significant unified opposition. In May 1940, the NPR captured the major port city of Jaigad, which enabled the NPR to begin trading with external nations. Between June and August 1940, central Narmada was rocked by the Red Revolts, a series of peasant uprisings led by NWPU cadres. The revolts caused mass disruption and chaos within smaller states, but also decimated any organised defence for the Kingdom of Lonavala, the main power in central Narmada. In October, the NWA invaded Lonavala, capturing vast swathes of the statelet by January 1941. The NPR's advance was soon hampered by the onset of monsoon season, granting Lonavalian forces time to re-organised and establish fixed positions around its capital of Thamarassery. However, in July the NWA launched a well-organised and coordinated offensive, breaking through capturing the capital in December 1941, this was followed by the capture and execution of the Lonvalian royal family on January 8 1942. The collapse of Lonavala allowed the NPR to expand its area of control across the entirety of northern and central Narmada bringing it into conflict with the Jamkandorana Clique, isolated and subject to further Red Revolts, the NWA decimated the Jamkandoranian defence, capturing Uvari in November 1944, simultaneously, NWA forces swept through Haridwar as its forces crumbled before a major Red Revolt, much the princely state was captured by November 1944. The defeat of Jamkandorana and Haridwar sent shockwaves across Narmada, despite their significant military strength, the NPR had rapidly defeated their forces, this concern would be pivotal in the formation of the Confederation of Southern Narmada and the Southern March.

Following their dramatic gains, the Gang of Five pressed Nanda to advance further and strike the nascent Confederation to the south. Nanda resisted, citing concerns over supply lines and the necessity to rest his forward units. He was repeatedly overruled by the Gang of Five who held greater concerns that the Confederation could successfully garner international support.

In January 1945, Nanda launched the Southern March operation in which 386,000 soldiers launched attacks southward into the Confederation. While seeing gains, the entire operation soon fell into chaos as the hastily formed offensive saw its logistical support collapse and face stiff entrenched opposition. Shortages of weapons and ammunition alongside intelligence failures led to the Southern March’s failure in March 1945, with the loss of over 200,000 soldiers either killed or injured, many of whom were some of the most experienced and elite of the Narmadi Worker’s Army.

In response, the Confederation with support from neighbouring military cliques launched well-coordinated and executed counter-attacks against the NWA in April 1945. They rapidly pushed the NWA back northward, retaking several statelets and key cities. Nanda swiftly called up reserves and established defensive positions along the northern side of the Shipra River, which held Southern forces back by October 1945. In 1946, the Southern forces broke through in Operation Jubilee, capturing the historic imperial capital of Jamnagar by Spring 1946. Southern forces would continue pushing northward well into January 1947 before being halted by restored NWA defences. Stalemate followed, which led to mass purges and reorganisation of the NWA led by Nanda and the Gang of Five.

For the Southern allies, the stalemate disallowed the coalition the momentum to maintain cohesion and unity, disagreements over territory reclaimed from the communists, the Confederation sought to restore the previous states, while the military cliques either argued for their own expansion and empowerment or using the war to unite Narmada into a confederation. The disagreements and collapsing cohesion would prove vital for the NPR’s Second Southern March in 1951.

NWPU Kodandera Chaudhuri proclaiming the unification of Narmada to crowds in Jamnagar.

In 1950, Nanda introduced People’s War, which was aided by the popularity of the NPR in lost territories due to their land reform and food distribution. In 1951 the NPR launched the Red March, which decimated the coalition’s distracted forces. In a series of mobile offensives, the NWA outmanoeuvred, surrounded and crushed entire corps of Southern forces, by 1952 the NWA had seized control of over 70% of Narmada, the speed of the NWA’s advance allowed the NWA to seize Pasigat and the entire leadership of the Coalition, including Chhatrapati Baji II, the supreme leader of the Confederation. The south swiftly collapsed as a result and on September 15 1952, the southern city of Sirukundra fell, the same day Kodandera Chaudhuri, the leader of the NPR proclaimed Narmadi unification and the establishment of the Narmadi Socialist Federation.

Socialist Fedederation (1952-present)

In 1953, the Narmadi Worker’s Army succeeded in capturing Gasheng and incorporating Kinnaur. However, remaining princely and clique forces continued to wage resistance across Narmada throughout the 1950s. The regime consolidated its popularity among the peasants through land reform, which included the execution of between 1 and 2 million landlords and former prince-aligned individuals. In 1957, Narmada regained control of all concession ports and territories from foreign imperial powers, which was dubbed the “Second Unification.”

Narmada developed an independent yet limited industrial system, while undergoing fundamental socio-religious change, with the abolition of caste systems and the elevation of “Socialist Spiritualism.” The Narmadi population increased from 150 million in 1955 to 300 million in 1974. However, between 1962 and 1970, attempts at collectivisation led to economic, social and political instability and over 40 million deaths, mostly from starvation. In 1971, the government ceased its attempts at collectivisation and instead moved toward implementing communal cooperatives for its farmland, offering limited free enterprise to landholders. The new agricultural policy and improvements to healthcare and steady mechanisation of farming led to the Peasant Revolution, which saw Narmada’s population grow at pre-1970s levels, as well improved economic growth.

Nurul Khan Junejo became Chief Secretary in 2005 and would oversee dramatic reforms that overturned decades of hampered growth.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s successive Narmadi administrations focused on improving infrastructure, healthcare and urban living in an attempt to hasten industrialisation. This led to deep factional disputes between the two blocs known as the Cult of Rice and Cult of Industry. In 1997 the Narmadi government abolished tribalism, leading to the Narmadi Tribal Conflict, which decimated its tribal societies. The same period would see repeated border conflicts with Xiaodong, which have worsened since 2016.

In 2005, Nurul Khan Junejo and Shiv Charan Joshi came to power. Their ascension led to the balancing of the Cult of Rice and Cult of Industry, which led to dramatic reforms to Narmada’s economy, ending the hegemonic role of agriculture. Further reforms to education, transport and healthcare successfully led to the lifting of 80 million peasants out of poverty b 2010, this number would increase to 100 million in 2015. In 2015, Sreedar Singh and Narendra Deva ascended to power and have continued the focus on improving living standards, fighting Narmada’s structural flaws and increasing its role internationally.

Government and politics

Narmada is the world's most populous syndicalist state. Officially a federal parliamentary republic yet with a single-party system, with the Narmadi Workers and Peasants Union being the only recognised party, however it has over 40 regional parties subordinate to the NWPU. The NWPU is a syndicalist far-left party, that has governed Narmada since 1981. However Narmada has been a single-party state since 1986.

File:DevaAndSingh.jpg

Deputy Chief Secretary Sreedar Singh (L) and Chief Secretary Mahrendra Deva (R).

Narmada's federal system is governed under the Constitution of Narmada, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. Federalism in Narmada defines the power distribution between the federal government and the communes. The government abides by constitutional checks and balances, that is protected by the Supreme Revolutionary Tribunal. The Constitution of Narmada, which came into effect on 26 January 1986, states in its preamble that Narmada is a sovereign, syndicalist, secular, revolutionary republic. Narmada's form of government, traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a strong centre and weak communes, has fluctuated between increasingly federal and conversely increasing de-centralised since the late 1980s as a result of political, economic, and social changes. As of 2012, it is widely considered by increasing federal once again.

The federal government comprises three branches:

• Executive: The Chief Secretary of Narmada is the head of state and is elected by the NWPU in a general congress for a five-year term. The Deputy Chief Secretary of Narmada is the head of government and exercises most executive power. Appointed by the Chief Secretary, the Deputy is by convention tasked with implementing the Chief Secretary's programme. The executive branch of the government consists of the Chief Secretary, the Deputy Chief Secretary, and the Central Committee for Governance—the cabinet being its executive committee—headed by the Chief Secretary and Deputy. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of one of the houses of congress. In the Narmadi parliamentary system, the legislature is subordinate to the executive ; however the Deputy is directly responsible to the lower house of the congress, in order to inform the legislature of the government's agenda.
• Legislative: The legislature of Naramda is the bicameral Supreme Congress. It comprises the upper house called the Supreme Congress of the Communes (samudāyon ke mahān vidhānasabha) and the lower called the Supreme Congress of Unions (mahasaṇgh ke mahān vidhānasabha). KSK is a permanent body that has 40 members who serve in five year terms, parallel to the lower house. All are elected directly by the Communes; with each of the ten sending four representatives. All but eight of the YSK's 608 members are directly elected by popular vote; they represent individual constituencies via five-year terms. The remaining eight members are nominated by the Chief Secretary from among the smallest minorities, the armed forces and religious bodies.
• Judicial: Narmada has a unitary three-tier judiciary that comprises the Supreme Revolutionary Tribunal, headed by the Chief Justice of Narmada, 24 High Courts, and a large number of trial courts. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between communes and the federal government; it has appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts. It has the power both to declare the law and to strike down union or state laws which contravene the constitution, as well as to invalidate any government (federal and commune level) action it deems counter-revolutionary.

Sub-divisions

Narmada is a federation composed of 10 Communes and 2 Autonomous Territories. All communes, as well as the autonomous territories of Gasheng and Chigup, have elected legislatures and governments, both patterned on the nation model, except their legislatures being unicameral. All Communes are structured around strict ethno-religious criteria. As a result, during the 1980s and 1990s over 30 million people were transferred to their respective communes in what was called the "largest dislocation and population transfer in world history", though it was done mostly peacefully, below the commune is the district level (Jila). The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and ultimately into villages.

Communes

• Godavari
• Jamnagar
• Haridwar
• Nainital
• Vikaragar
• Jangaon
• Kangra
• Patiala
• Ludhiana
• Kokrajhar
• Chittogarh
• Jind

Autonomous Territories

• Gasheng
• Kinnaur

Armed forces and foreign policy

Armed forces

Main article: Narmadi Worker's Army

The Narmadi Worker's Army is the armed forces of the Communal Federation, and is comprised of five branches; the Narmadi Worker's Army Ground Force (NWAGF), the Narmadi Worker's Army Navy (NWAGN), the Narmadi Worker's Army Air Force (NWAAF) and the Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Force (WPRF), the latter includes the People's Communal Police and the Worker's Frontier Defence Force. The Chief Secretary of Narmada is the supreme commander of the nation's armed forces; with 1.325 million active troops, they compose the world's xxx-largest military. The official Narmadi defence budget for 2015 was US$12.61 billion, or 3.65% of GDP. The Namardi military budget has remained at the same percentage since 2002, though annully the amount has increased in line with economic growth.

Sikh soldiers of the Narmadi Worker's Army during training exercises.

As of 2017, the NWA is engaged in three armed conflicts, the Patiala insurgency, the Gasheng insurgency and the FNA conflict, though all are low-level conflicts.

Economy

Namada is one of the poorest nations in Borea in terms of per capita incomes, suffering from decades of poorly implemented industrialisation policies, a entrenched refusal to move away from agriculture and stagnant wages. The lack of a large educated workforce skilled in modern technology hinders Namada's economy, although recent reforms and developments carried out by the government since 2009, in collaboration with foreign countries and organisations aim to make this a thing of the past, and has seen some progress.

Namada lacks adequate infrastructure. Goods travel primarily across the Jathana border (where most illegal drugs are exported) and along the Jarpadi River. Railways are old and rudimentary, with few repairs since their construction in the late 19th century. Highways are normally unpaved, except in the major cities. Though since 2009, over $54.5 billion has been spent upgrading and modernising the road and rail networks, especially from the coast to the interior. Long lasting government preferences for self-dependence has limited the scope of needed imports to modernise the economy, despite the government reportedly being in a strong financial position to do so. It was reported by senior economists with the Organization of Esquarian Nations, that "in the event of ideological changes, Namada has the means and potential to dramatically transform its economy."

Agriculture

Narmada ranks X worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 29% of the GDP and employed 53% of the total workforce in 2015. Although as the Narmadi economy has diversified and grown, agriculture's contribution to GDP has remained relatively steady, yet it is still the largest employment source and a significant piece of the overall socio-economic development of Narmada. Crop yield per unit area of all crops has grown since 1950, due to the special emphasis placed on agriculture in the five-year plans and steady improvements in irrigation, technology, application of modern agricultural practices and provision of agricultural credit and subsidies since the Green Revolution in Narmada. However, international comparisons reveal the average yield in Narmada is generally 30% to 50% of the highest average yield in the world.

Agriculture remains the principal industry of Narmada, primarily due to ideological and political reasons. However, the focus on agriculture has led to consistent failures in combating poverty and diversifying the economy to such sufficient levels, that an education middle class can emerge.

Narmada receives an average annual rainfall of 1,208 millimetres (47.6 in) and a total annual precipitation of 4000 billion cubic metres, with the total utilisable water resources, including surface and groundwater, amounting to 1123 billion cubic metres. 311,597 square kilometres (120,308 sq mi) of the land area, or about 39% of the total cultivated area, is irrigated. Narmada's inland water resources including rivers, canals, ponds and lakes and marine resources comprising the southern coasts of the Great Ocean and other gulfs and bays provide employment to nearly four million people in the fisheries sector.

Natural resources

Narmada produces precious stones such as rubies, sapphires, pearls, and jade. Rubies are the biggest earner; 56% of the world's rubies come from the country, whose red stones are prized for their purity and hue. The rare stone mines are considered to be the best in the country, with dramatically improved conditions and financial benefits for miners, this achieved mostly in the late 1990s after several major jewelry companies threatened to cease buying Narmadi gems if conditions did not improve.

Other major natural resources include coal, copper and other metal ores.

Drug production

Narmada is also the world's XX largest producer of opium, accounting for 25% of entire world production and is a major source of illegal drugs, including amphetamines. Opium bans implemented since 2002 after international pressure have left ex-poppy farmers without sustainable sources of income in the south-eastern regions. They depend on casual labour for income. The international community blames rampant corruption in these regions for the production of narcotics, as well as poor infrastructure to sufficiently export and distribute foodstuffs from the region. The Narmadi government has crackdown on the production of opium in recent years, but its successes are usually undermined by local authorities who reportedly use the industry to gain extra revenue.

Demographics

With 361,202,879 residents reported in the 2010 communal census report, Narmada is the world's xx-most populous country. Its population grew by 17.64% during 2000-2010 compared to 21.54% growth in the previous decade (1991–2001). The human sex ratio, according to the 2011 census, is 997 females per 1,000 males. The median age was 23.5 in the 2010 census. Medical advances made in the last 50 years as well as increased agricultural productivity brought about by the "Peasant Revolution" have caused Narmada's population to grow rapidly. Narmada continues to face several public health-related challenges, including poor public hygiene, contaminated water supplies and disease and viruses.

Chenjin girls in traditional dress children taking part in a traditional event in Kinnaur.

Life expectancy in Narmada is at 65 years, with life expectancy for women being 68.1 years and for men being 64.3. There are around 50 physicians per 100,000 Narmadis. The number of Narmadis living in urban areas has grown by 21.2% between 1990 and 2000. Yet, in 2010, over 60% lived in rural areas. The level of urbanisation increased from 27.81% in 2000 Census to 41.16% in 2010 Census. The slowing down of the overall growth rate of population was due to the sharp decline in the growth rate in rural areas since 1990. According to the 2010 census, there are 11 million-plus urban agglomerations in Narmada; among them Jamnagar, Sirukundra, Rarapuram, Janjali, Daitari, Jenavali and Sujanpur, in decreasing order by population. The literacy rate in 2010 was 54.04%. The rural urban literacy gap which was 21.2 percentage points in 2000, dropped to 16.1 percentage points in 2010. The improvement in literacy rate in rural area is two times that in urban areas. Jamnagar is the most literate state with 93.91% literacy; while Lalitagiri the least with 23.82%.

Young Narmadic children during the festival of Holi.

Narmada is home to two major language families: Nama-Aryan (spoken by about 64% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by 34% of the population). Other languages spoken in Narmada come from the Northern-Monic family. Narmada has no national language. Punjabi, with the largest number of speakers, is the official language of the government. However due its prevalence, Hindi and Urdu are also spoken in government, administration, education and business and are regularly interchanged. Each commune and autonomous territory has one or more official languages. The Constitution of Narmada formerly recognised 117 tribal groups, yet tribalism was outlawed in 1999 as it was seen to be an obstacle to "revolutionary progression", the decision sparked the Narmadi Tribal Conflict which lasted between 1999 and 2003, before ending in the destruction of many tribes and their naturalisation into society. The 2010 census reported that the religion in Narmada with the largest number of followers was Hinduism (39.4% of the population), followed by Sikhism (39.3%); the remaining were Khaturvism (20.0%), Irfanism (1.2%) and others (0.1%).

Ethnic groups

The constitution of Narmada does not recognise racial or ethnic groups within the country, only identifying people by language and religion.

Matengese in traditional wedding attire.

According to a 2009 study published by the People's University of Jamnagar, the modern Narmadi population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations which mixed in ancient times (about 1,200–3,500 BC), known as Ancestral West Narmadis (AWN) and Ancestral East Narmadis (AEN). AWN corresponds to the Indo-Aryan-speaking population of western Narmada, whereas AEN corresponds to the Dravidian-speaking population of eastern Narmada. Beside these two groups, several distinct ethnic groups do exist within Narmada, including Chenjin, Bandanese, Matengese and Kshettri.