Raghunathganj I
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Raghunathganj I is a
community development block In India, a community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of District, administratively earmarked for planning and development. In tribal areas, similar sub-divisions are called tribal development blocks (TD blocks). T ...
that forms an administrative division in the
Jangipur subdivision Jangipur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India. West Bengal's Chief minister, CM Mamata Banerjee announced that a new Farakka subdivision will be created from the Farakka (communit ...
of
Murshidabad district Murshidabad district is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of and having a population 7.103 million (according to 2011 census), it ...
in the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
.


Geography

Raghunathganj is located at Raghunathganj I CD block lies in the Rarh region in Murshidabad district. The
Bhagirathi River The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hindu f ...
splits the district into two natural physiographic regions – Rarh on the west and Bagri on the east. The Rarh region is undulating and contains mostly
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
and lateritic clay based soil. As the
Rajmahal hills The Rajmahal Hills are located in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand, India. They were located on the northern margin of the Gondwana supercontinent, and its hills are today inhabited by the Sauria Paharia people whilst its valleys are do ...
slopes gently down from adjoining
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
it forms the Nabagram plain at the lowest edge of its elevation in this region. The eastern slope of the region is characterised by the existence of numerous
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
s and bluffs. Raghunathganj I CD block is bounded by
Suti I Suti I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Suti I is located at Suti I CD block lies in the Rarh region in Murs ...
CD block in the north, Raghunathganj II CD block in the east, Sagardighi CD block in the south and Pakuria CD block in
Pakur district Pakur district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Pakur is the administrative headquarters of this district. Pakur sub-division of Sahibganj district was carved out on 28 January 1994 to constitute Pakur District ...
of Jharkhand and
Murarai II Murarai II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Rampurhat subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview Birbhum district is physiographically a part of the ancient Rarh region. T ...
CD block in Birbhum district in the west. The Bansloi River enters the district (from Birbhum district) near Hussianpur, flows eastward and joins the Bhagirathi north of Jangipur. The Rarh region or the western part of the district is drained by the right bank tributaries of the Bhagirathi, flowing down from the hilly / plateau region of
Santhal Pargana division Santhal Pargana division constitutes six district administration units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Origin of name Santal Pargana derives its name from two words: " Santal", a major inhabited tribe in the region an ...
in neighbouring Jharkhand. The Farakka Barrage regulates the flow of water into the Bhagirathi through the feeder canal. Thereafter, it is fed with the discharge from the Mayurakshi system. About 1,800 km2 of area in the neighbourhood of Kandi town is flooded by the combined discharge of the Mayurakshi,
Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...
, Brahmani, Gambhira, Kopai and
Bakreshwar Bakreshwar is a village in Dubrajpur (community development block), Dubrajpur CD Block in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station of West Be ...
– the main contributor being the Mayurakshi. Certain other areas in the western sector also get flooded. A major problem in Murshidabad district is river bank erosion. As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone in Murshidabad district. See also -
River bank erosion along the Ganges in Malda and Murshidabad districts River bank erosion along the Ganges in Malda and Murshidabad districts focusses on River bank failure, river bank erosion along the main channel of the Ganges in Malda district, Malda and Murshidabad district, Mushidabad districts of West Benga ...
Raghunathganj I CD block has an area of 140.91 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 6 gram panchayats, 117 gram sansads (village councils), 63
mouza In Bangladesh, Pakistan and parts of India, a mouza or mauza (also mouja) is a type of administrative district, corresponding to a specific land area within which there may be one or more settlements. Before the 20th century, the term referred to a ...
s and 56 inhabited villages. Raghunathganj police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Raghunathganj. Gram panchayats in Raghunathganj I block/ panchayat samiti are:
Dafarpur Dafarpur is a census town in the Raghunathganj I CD block in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Dafarpur is located at . Area overvi ...
, Jamuar, Jarur, Kanupur,
Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the tradition of kajari and birha music. Straddled by the Kaimur extension of Vindhya mountains, it served as the headquarters of t ...
and Raninagar.


Demographics


Population

According to the 2011 Census of India, Raghunathganj I CD block had a total population of 195,627, of which 133,114 were rural and 62,513 were urban. There were 100,295 (50%) males and 95,332 (50%) females. Population in the age range 0-6 years numbered 29,157. Scheduled Castes numbered 53,027 (27.11%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 2,602 (1.33). As per 2001 census, Raghunathganj I block has a total population of 154,349, out of which 77,727 were males and 76,622 were females. Raghunathganj I block registered a population growth of 30.09 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the district was 23.70 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent. Decadal
Population Growth Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The World population, global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to aroun ...
Rate (%) Sources: The decadal growth of population in Raghunathganj I CD block in 2001-2011 was 26.73%. The decadal growth rate of population in Murshidabad district was as follows: 33.5% in 1951–61, 28.6% in 1961–71, 25.5% in 1971–81, 28.2% in 1981-91, 23.8% in 1991-2001 and 21.1% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate of population in Chapai Nawabganj District in Bangladesh was 15.59% for the decade 2001–2011, down from 21.67% in the decade 1991-2001. There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators entering Murshidabad district.


Census towns and villages

Census towns in Raghunathganj I CD block were (2011 population figures in brackets):
Ghorsala Ghorsala is a census town in the Raghunathganj I CD block in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Ghorsala is located at . Area overview Jangipur subdivision is crow ...
(7,837),
Srikantabati Srikantabati is a census town in the Raghunathganj I CD block in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Srikantabati is located at . Area overview Jangipur subdivision is ...
(14,027), Charka (8,451),
Dafarpur Dafarpur is a census town in the Raghunathganj I CD block in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Dafarpur is located at . Area overvi ...
(16,587), Ramnagar (9,528) and
Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the tradition of kajari and birha music. Straddled by the Kaimur extension of Vindhya mountains, it served as the headquarters of t ...
(6,083). Large villages in Raghunathgaj I CD block were (2011 population figures in brackets): Kanupur (8,865), Sujapur (P) (4,717), Nait Baidara (4,212), Barala (5,580), Jarur (6,435), Umarpur (4,384), Kankaria (4,363), Talai (4,156), Ramkantapur (5,208), Ramchandrabati (5,648), Gankar (4,574), Rajnagar (4,586) and Nutanganj (5,805).


Literacy

As per the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in Raghunathganj I CD block was 107,358 (64.49% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 58,990 (68.99% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 48,368 (59.74% of the female population over 6 years). The
gender disparity Sex differences in humans have been studied in a variety of fields. Sex chromosome#Sex determination, Sex determination generally occurs by the presence or absence of a Y chromosome in the 23rd pair of chromosomes in the human genome. ''phenot ...
(the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 9.24%. See also –
List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate This is a list of districts in the Indian state of West Bengal ranked by literacy rate as per provisional data of 2011 census. With a literacy rate of 96.26% (male 90.69% and female 96.54%), above the national average of 90.04%, as per the 2011 C ...


Language and religion

In the 2011 census Muslims numbered 110,487 and formed 56.48% of the population in Raghunathganj I CD block. Hindus numbered 84,737 and formed 43.32% of the population. Others numbered 403 and formed 0.20% of the population. In Raghunathganj I and Raghunathganj II CD blocks taken together, while the proportion of Muslims increased from 66.72% in 1991 to 67.39% in 2001, the proportion of Hindus declined from 33.20% in 1991 to 32.61% in 2001. Murshidabad district had 4,707,573 Muslims who formed 66.27% of the population, 2,359,061 Hindus who formed 33.21% of the population, and 37, 173 persons belonging to other religions who formed 0.52% of the population, in the 2011 census. While the proportion of Muslim population in the district increased from 61.40% in 1991 to 63.67% in 2001, the proportion of Hindu population declined from 38.39% in 1991 to 35.92% in 2001. Murshidabad was the only Muslim majority district in West Bengal at the time of
partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
in 1947. The proportion of Muslims in the population of Murshidabad district in 1951 was 55.24%. The
Radcliffe Line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated by the two boundary commissions for the provinces of Punjab Province (British India), Punjab and Bengal Presidency, Bengal during the Partition of India. It is named after Cyril Radcliffe, 1st Visco ...
had placed Muslim majority Murshidabad in India and the Hindu majority
Khulna Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...
in Pakistan, in order to maintain the integrity of the Ganges river system In India. At the time of the 2011 census, 97.44% of the population spoke
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
and 1.28% Khotta as their first language.


Rural poverty

As per the Human Development Report 2004 for West Bengal, the rural poverty ratio in Murshidabad district was 46.12%. Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum districts had higher rural poverty ratios. These estimates were based on Central Sample data of NSS 55th round 1999-2000.


Economy


Livelihood

In Raghunathganj I CD block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 5,898 and formed 7.03%, agricultural labourers numbered 14,243 and formed 16.69%, household industry workers numbered 24,735 and formed 28.98% and other workers numbered 40,366 and formed 47.30%.


Infrastructure

There are 56 inhabited villages in Raghunathganj I CD block. 100% villages have power supply and drinking water supply. 9 villages (16.07%) have post offices. 53 villages (94.64%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 21 villages (37.50%) have a pucca approach road and 22 villages (39.29%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 4 villages (7.14%) have agricultural credit societies and 5 villages (8.13%) have banks.


Agriculture

From 1977 onwards major land reforms took place in West Bengal. Land in excess of land ceiling was acquired and distributed amongst the peasants. Following
land reforms Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...
land ownership pattern has undergone transformation. In 2013–14, persons engaged in agriculture in Raghunathganj I CD block could be classified as follows: bargadars 3,969 (12.22%), patta (document) holders 5,551 (17.08%), small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 1,102 (3.39%), marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 7,626 (23.47%) and agricultural labourers 14,243 (43.84%). Raghunathganj I CD block had 57 fertiliser depots, 1 seed store and 32 fair price shops in 2013-14. In 2013–14, Raghunathganj I CD block produced 3,172 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop from 1,120 hectares, 9,199 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 3,456 hectares, 9,326 tonnes of wheat from 3,703 hectares, 111 tonnes of maize from 43 hectares, 18,842 tonnes of jute from 1,582 hectares and 2,752 tonnes of potatoes from 95 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds. In 2013–14, the total area irrigated in Raghunathganj I CD block was 2,204 hectares, out of which 100 hectares were irrigated by canal water, 1,602 hectares with tank water, 142 hectares with river lift irrigation, 100 hectares with deep tube wells and 260 hectares by other means.


Beedi industry

As of 2003, around 400,000 workers were engaged in the prime area locations of
beedi A beedi (also spelled bidi or biri) is a thin cigarette or cigar, mini-cigar filled with tobacco flake and commonly wrapped in a tendu (''Diospyros melanoxylon'') or ''Piliostigma racemosum'' leaf tied with a string or adhesive at one end. It ...
making, a household industry, in Farakka, Samserganj, Suti I, Suti II, Raghunathganj I and Raghunathganj II CD blocks. The majority of those working are women and children. Almost all households are engaged in this activity. See also
Beedi Workers of Murshidabad (in Hindi). Lok Sabha TV feature


Silk and handicrafts

Murshidabad is famous for its silk industry since the Middle Ages. There are three distinct categories in this industry, namely (i)
Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
cultivation and silkworm rearing (ii) Peeling of raw silk (iii) Weaving of silk fabrics. Prime locations for weaving (silk and cotton) are: Khargram, Raghunathganj I, Nabagram, Beldanga I, Beldanga II and Raninagar-I CD Blocks. Ivory carving is an important cottage industry from the era of the Nawabs. The main areas where this industry has flourished are Khagra and Jiaganj. Bell metal and Brass utensils are manufactured in large quantities at Khagra, Berhampore, Kandi and Jangipur. 99% of ivory craft production is exported. In more recent years sandalwood etching has become more popular than ivory carving.


Banking

In 2013–14, Raghunathgaj I CD block had offices of 7 commercial banks and 1 gramin bank.


Backward Regions Grant Fund

Murshidabad district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund. The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 11 districts of West Bengal.


Transport

Raghunathganj I CD block has 5 ferry services and 18 originating/ terminating bus routes. The Barharwa-Azimganj-Katwa loop line passes through this block and there are stations at Jangipur Road and Gankar. NH 12 (old number NH 34) passes through this block. State Highway 11A, running from Raghunathganj to Bhagawangola passes through this CD block.


Education

In 2013–14, Raghunathganj I CD block had 84 primary schools with 13,527 students, 5 middle schools with 614 students, 4 high schools with 4,609 students and 7 higher secondary schools with 17,405 students. Raghunathganj I CD block had 1 technical/ professional institution with 100 students, 367 institutions special and non-formal education with 20,214 students. Management Development Institute, Murshidabad, was established at Sakim Katnai, Kutori, PO Uttar Ramna, PS Raghunathganj. MDI, Murshidabad campus was inaugurated by
Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...
, President of India, in 2014. It offers a residential post-graduate programme in management. In Raghunathganj I CD block, amongst the 56 inhabited villages, 3 villages did not have a school, 27 villages have more than 1 primary school, 14 villages have at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 10 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.


Healthcare

In 2014, Raghunathganj I CD block had 1 block primary health centre, 2 primary health centres and 2 private nursing homes with total 42 beds and 3 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 22 family welfare subcentres. 4,457 patients were treated indoor and 89,312 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block. Raghunathganj I CD block has Rajnagar Block Primary Health Centre (with 6 beds) at Rajnagar, Barla Primary Health Centre (with 10 beds) and Gankar PHC (with 2 beds). The Subdivisional Hospital at Jangipur (with 250 beds) is outside the CD Block. Raghunathganj I CD block is one of the areas of Murshidabad district where ground water is affected by a high level of arsenic contamination. The
WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
guideline for arsenic in drinking water is 10 mg/ litre, and the Indian Standard value is 50 mg/ litre. All but one of the 26 blocks of Murshidabad district have arsenic contamination above the WHO level, all but two of the blocks have arsenic concentration above the Indian Standard value and 17 blocks have arsenic concentration above 300 mg/litre. The maximum concentration in Raghunathaganj I CD Block is 3,003 mg/litre.


External links


References

{{Murshidabad topics Community development blocks in Murshidabad district