| Raina I | |
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| — Community development block — | |
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Raina I
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Bardhaman |
| Parliamentary constituency | Bardhaman Purba |
| Assembly constituency | Raina, Jamalpur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 102.9 sq mi (266.44 km2) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 162,921 |
| • Density | 1,582.5/sq mi (611/km2) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5.30) |
| PIN | |
| Literacy Rate | 74.69 per cent |
| Website | http://bardhaman.gov.in/ |
Raina I (community development block) (also spelled Rayna and called Rainagar) (Bengali: রায়না I সমষ্টি উন্নয়ন ব্লক) is an administrative division in Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Raina and Madhabdihi police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Shyamsundar.[1][2]
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Raina is located at .
Raina I community development block has an area of 266.44 km2.[2]
Unlike the rest of Bardhaman district, which lies to the north of the Damodar River, the Khandaghosh-Jamalpur-Raina area lies on the alluvial plains between the Damodar on its southern/ eastern side and the Dwarakeswar River. As a result, it has been a flood prone area.[3]
It is from this area that the Mundeswari River originates.[4] The small Ratnela khal also originates in the region and later flows in to the Ghia river in Hooghly district.[5]
Gram panchayats of Raina I block/panchayat samiti are: Hijalna, Mugura, Narugram, Natu, Palasan, Raina, Sehara and Shyamsundar.[6]
Subsequent to Lord Cornwallis’ Permanent Settlement, parganas of the earlier period were converted into ‘thanas’ or police stations. As early as 1860, there is mention of Jahanabad (subsequently renamed Arambag), Kotulpur, Goghat and Raina police stations in Jahanabad subdivision. In Peterson’s District Gazeteer of 1910 there is mention of Raina and other police stations in Bardhaman subdivision.[7]
In 1968-69, Raina and other blocks were created.[8]
In 1933, independence activist Dasarathi Tah was involved in Swadeshi dacoities in Meral, Mirzapur and Bogra in the area.[9]Damodar floods wrought havoc in the area and Dasarathi Tah initiated the ‘Nakrah hana embankment movement’ and even published a weekly newspaper named Damodar to focus on the problems faced by the people.[10] In 1948, Raina witnessed the ‘Tebhaga movement’, where share croppers demanded a higher share of the crops they grew. The movement was led by Benoy Choudhury and Bipadtaran Roy.[11]
As per 2001 census, Raina I block had a total population of 162,921, out of which 83,633 were males and 79,288 were females. Raina I block registered a population growth of 13.71 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for Bardhaman district was 14.36 per cent.[2]Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.[12]
Scheduled castes at 54,462 formed around one-third the population. Scheduled tribes numbered 9,808.[13]
As per 2001 census, Raina I block had a total literacy of 74.69 per cent for the 6+ age group. While male literacy was 83.01 per cent female literacy was 65.88 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.[14]
The Raina area has not lagged behind in education. In 1838, a survey by Adams revealed that there were 190 Sanskrit tols in Bardhaman district. Out of this 13 were in Raina. The same report also mentioned Persian schools in the area.[15]In 1947, at the time of independence there were only three colleges in Bardhaman district – at Bardhaman, Kalna and Asansol. Shyamsundar College at Raina was established in 1948. [16]
Bankura Damodar Railway was planned to be revived when Mamata Banerjee was the railway minister in the NDA government. The plans were to convert the old track to a broad gauge one and connect it with the Howrah Burdwan chord line near Masagram. The work was scheduled to be completed in three phases:Bankura-Sonamukhi, Sonamukhi-Rainagar, and Rainagar-Masagram.[17]
The 41 kilometres (25 mi) long Bankura-Sonamukhi broad gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2005.[18]The 55 kilometres (34 mi) long Sonamukhi-Rainagar broad gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2008.[17]
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