Raniganj (community development block)

Geography

Searsole Rajbari is located at 23°37′44″N 87°06′54″E.

Raniganj CD Block is part of the Ajay Damodar Barakar tract. This area is sort of an extension of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. It is a rocky undulating area with laterite soil, with the Ajay on the north, the Damodar on the south and the Barakar on the west. For ages the area was heavily forested and infested with plunderers and marauders. The discovery of coal, in the eighteenth century, led to industrialisation of the area and most of the forests have been cleared.

Raniganj CD Block is bounded by Asansol (municipal corporation)/ Raniganj and Jamuria CD Block on the north, Andal CD Block on the east, Mejia CD Block, in Bankura district, on the south and Asansol (municipal corporation)/ Barabani CD Block on the west.

It is located 99 km from Bardhaman, the district headquarters.

Raniganj CD Block has an area of 58.28 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 6 gram panchayats, 74 gram sansads (village councils), 12 mouzas and 12 inhabited villages. Asansol North and Raniganj police stations serve this block.Headquarters of this CD Block is at Raniganj.

Nunia, a small stream about 40 km long has its origin near Adra village in the Salanpur area, flows through the Barabani area, past Asansol and joins the Damodar in the Raniganj area.

Gram panchayats of Raniganj block/panchayat samiti are: Amrasota, Ballavpur, Egara, Jemari, Ratibati and Tirat.

Population

As per the 2011 Census of India Raniganj CD Block had a total population of 106,441, of which 23,023 were rural and 83,418 were urban. There were 55,835 (52%) males and 50,606 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 12,885. Scheduled Castes numbered 37,491 (35.22%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 9,982 (9.38%).

As per 2001 census, Raniganj block had a total population of 101,678, out of which 55,160 were males and 46,518 were females. Raniganj block registered a population growth of -20.45 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for Bardhaman district was 14.36 per cent.Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.Scheduled castes at 33,515 formed around one-third the population. Scheduled tribes numbered 9,761.

Census Towns in Raniganj CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Ratibati (4,508), Chapui (5,358), Jemari (J.K. Nagar Township) (13,179), Banshra (5,703), Belebathan (4,459), Chelad (7,471), Murgathaul (7,371), Amkula (5,445), Baktarnagar (5,112), Egara (7,623), Sahebganj (4,715), Raghunathchak (6,006) and Ballavpur (6,468).

Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Raniganj CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Tirat (4,224).

Other villages in Raniganj CD Block are (2011census figures in brackets): Saora (2,191), Kumardiha (2,142), Chalbalpur (3,567), Harabhanga (1,907), Damalia (1,118), Narankuri (2,176), Nimcha (2,065), Chak Janadhara (343), Sonachora (11), Chak Brindabanpur (818) and Napur (2,461).(All villages included in 2011 census data are mentioned here. Other villages or localities, if any, are parts of these villages.)

Literacy

As per the 2011 census the total number of literates in Raniganj CD Block was 69,098 (73.86% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 40,733 (82.90% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 28,365 (63.86% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 19.04%.

As per 2001 census, Raniganj block had a total literacy of 65.85 per cent for the 6+ age group. While male literacy was 76.59 per cent female literacy was 52.97 per cent. Bardhaman district had a total literacy of 70.18 per cent, male literacy being 78.63 per cent and female literacy being 60.95 per cent.

See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

Languages and religion

Bengali is the local language in these areas.

In 2001 Bengali was the mother-tongue of 79.9% of the population of Bardhaman district, Hindi was the mother-tongue of 10.9%, Santali 4.9%, Urdu 2.8%, Bhojpuri 0.1% and Oraon 0.1%. There were other languages spoken by small percentages. The percentage of population which reported Bengali as mother-tongue has declined from 82.3% in 1961 to 79.9% in 2001, the percentage of population which reported Hindi as mother-tongue increased from 8.5% in 1961 to 10.9% in 2001. However, as of 2017, CD Block-wise/ other region-wise break-up of mother tongue is not available in census/ other official sources.

There have been reports in the media about the Hindi speaking population being substantial in the Asansol (Lok Sabha constituency). Bardhaman district provided attractive livelihood opportunities for immigrants from Bihar/ Jharkhand.

In the 2011 census Hindus numbered 96,719 and formed 90.87% of the population in Raniganj CD Block. Muslims numbered 6,837 and formed 6.42% of the population. Christians numbered 441 and formed 0.41% of the population. Others numbered 2,444 and formed 2.30% of the population.

Rural poverty

As per poverty estimates obtained from household survey for families living below poverty line in 2005, rural poverty in Raniganj CD Block was 13.66%.

Livelihood

In Raniganj CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators formed 1.69%, agricultural labourers 4.15%, household industry workers 1.96% and other workers 92.19%.

In Raniganj CD Block a large percentage of the total workers were engaged as ‘other workers’ and only a small percentage as cultivators or agricultural labourers. This is because Asansol subdivision is a colliery based industrial area, where a majority of the people are engaged in the secondary or tertiary sectors.

Infrastructure

All 12 or 100% of mouzas in Raniganj CD Block were electrified by 31 March 2014.

All 12 mouzas in Raniganj CD Block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 5 fertiliser depots, 3 seed stores and 38 fair price shops in the CD Block.

Coal mining

Nimcha open cast project in Satgram Area of Eastern Coalfields has a mineable reserve of 8.70 million tonnes.

Damalia open cast project in Satgram Area of Eastern Coalfields has a mineable reserve of 0.44 million tonnes.

The coal-bed methane gas block of Essar Group, the largest CBM player in India, in Raniganj is close to commercial production.

Industries

Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) has developed the Managalpur Industrial Estate.

Agriculture

Although the Bargadari Act of 1950 recognised the rights of bargadars to a higher share of crops from the land that they tilled, it was not implemented fully. Large tracts, beyond the prescribed limit of land ceiling, remained with the rich landlords. 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 ownership pattern has undergone transformation. In 2013-14, persons engaged in agriculture in Raniganj CD Block could be classified as follows: bargadars 15.92%, patta (document) holders 35.80%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 2.06%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 26.67% and agricultural labourers 19.55%.

In 2003-04 net cropped area in Raniganj CD Block was 2,434 hectares and the area in which more than one crop was grown was 770 hectares.

In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block produced 4,016 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 1,475 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds.

Banking

In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block had offices of 12 commercial banks and 2 gramin banks.

Transport

Narayankuri ghat, on the Damodar, was used by M/s Carr Tagore & Company for transporting coal to Kolkata by boat in the middle of the nineteenth century. Varying levels of water in the Damodar posed problems for transportation. In order to capture the lucrative coal transport business, East Indian Railway laid lines up to Raniganj in 1855. It captured the entire coal transport business. The line was extended to Asansol in 1863.

The Bardhaman-Asansol section, which is a part of Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line, Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line and Howrah-Delhi main line, passes through this CD Block and there is a station at Raniganj.

Raniganj CD Block has 12 originating/ terminating bus routes.

NH 19 (old number NH 2) and NH 14 (old number NH 60) cross at Raniganj.

Education

In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block had 46 primary schools with 5,807 students, 7 middle schools with 732 students, 1 high school with 688 students and 5 higher secondary schools with 6,042 students. Raniganj CD Block had 181 institutions for special and non-formal education with 5,723 students. Raniganj (then a municipal town, outside the CD Block) had 2 general colleges with 6,235 students.

Healthcare

In 2014, Raniganj CD Block had 1 rural hospital, 1 block primary health centre, 2 primary health centres, 1 central government/ PSU medical centre and 4 private nursing homes with total 107 beds and 8 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 20 family welfare sub centres. 5,522 patients were treated indoor and 191,301 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block.

Raniganj CD Block has a rural hospital at Ballavpur, a block primary health centre at Raniganj and primary health centres at Baktarnagar and Tirat.