Paschim Medinipur district

Paschim Medinipur district
District of West Bengal

Location of Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal
Country India
State West Bengal
Administrative division Midnapore
Headquarters Midnapore
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituencies Medinipur, Ghatal, Jhargram (ST) - all have assembly segments in adjoining districts, Arambagh - with one assembly segmant in the district
 • Assembly seats Dantan, Keshiary, Kharagpur Sadar, Narayangarh, Sabang, Pingla, Kharagpur, Debra, Daspur, Ghatal, Chandrakona, Garbeta, Salboni, Keshpur, Medinipur
Area
 • Total 9,345 km2 (3,608 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 59,43,300
 • Density 640/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
 • Urban 11.9 per cent
Demographics
 • Literacy 79.04 per cent
 • Sex ratio 960
Major highways NH 6, NH 60
Average annual precipitation 2,111 mm
Website Official website
Map of Paschim Medinipur district showing Midnapore

Paschim Medinipur district (Pron: pɔʃʧɪm med̪iːniːpur) or West Midnapore district (Pron: ˌmɪdnəˈpʊə) (also known as Midnapore West) is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal, India. It was formed on 1 January 2002 after the Partition of Midnapore into Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur. On 4 April 2017, the Jhargram subdivision was converted into a district.

Geography

Overview

Paschim Medinipur, located in the south-western part of West Bengal, was created with the partition of the erstwhile Midnapore district, then the largest district of India, on 1 January 2002. It ranks second in terms of geographical area (9,295.28  km2) amongst the districts of the state, next to South 24-Parganas (9,960  km2). It ranks third in terms of rural population (4.58 million) following South 24-Parganas (5.82 million) and Murshidabad (5.13 million). It ranked fourth in terms of percentage of tribal population (14.87) following Jalpaiguri (18.87), Purulia (18.27) and Dakshin Dinajpur (16.12) in 2011.

Broadly speaking, there are two natural divisions of the district. NH 14 and NH 16 (old numbering NH 60) from Bankura to Balasore, cuts across the district and roughly is the dividing line between the two natural divisions. To the east of this road, the soil is fertile alluvial and the area is flat. To the west, the Chota Nagpur Plateau gradually slopes down creating an undulating area with infertile laterite rocks/ soil. The landscape changes from dense dry deciduous forests in the west to marshy wetlands in the east.

The alluvial portion may be further subdivided into two divisions. First, it is a strip of purely deltaic country nearer to the Hooghly and the Rupnarayan, intersected by numerous rivers and watercourses subject to tidal influences. Second, it is rest of the eastern half of the district. It is a monotonous rice plain with numerous waterways and tidal creeks intersecting it. The tidal creeks are lined with embankments to prevent flooding of the fields. Much of the area is water-logged.

Floods and drought

Paschim Medinipur district is subject to both floods and drought. Ghatal and parts of Kharagpur subdivision covering an area of 142,647 hectares (1,426.47 km2) are flood prone. Water logging during the rainy season affects Ghatal and the southern parts of Kharagpur subdivion and results in loss of crops in such areas as Sabang, Pingla and Narayangarh CD Blocks.335,248 hectares (3,352.48 km2) in Jhargram and Medinipur Sadar subdivisions are drought prone. The drought situation is particularly severe in Jhargram subdivision. Although the district is away from the sea, cyclones hit it frequently in October–November.

Major cities and towns

Midnapore is the district headquarters. Other important towns and cities in the district include: Kharagpur, Ghatal, Belda, Chandrakona, Ramjibanpur, Garbeta, Balichak, Dantan, Mohanpur, Keshiari, Keshpur, Narayangarh, Sabang, Daspur.Mohanpur.

Villages

Paschim Medinipur district is home to the most villages of any district in India. The 2011 census lists Paschim Medinipur as having 8,694 villages, of which 7,600 are populated, and 1,094 are uninhabited. The district with the next highest number of villages, Mayurbhanj, in the state of Odisha, has 3,950 villages, 3,751 of which are inhabited.

Economy and politics

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Paschim Medinipur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

106 districts spanning 10 states across India, described as being part of Left Wing Extremism activities, constitute the Red corridor. In West Bengal the districts of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum are part of the Red corridor. However, as of July 2016, there has been no reported incidents of Maoist related activities from these districts for the previous 4 years.In the period 2009-2011 LWE violence resulted in more than 500 deaths and a similar number missing in Paschim Medinipur district.

Divisions

Paschim Medinipur district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:

Subdivision Headquarters
Area
km2 		Population
(2011) 		Rural
Population %
(2011)		Urban
Population %
(2011)
Medinipur SadarMidnapore2,441.501,435,32186.0513.95
KharagpurKharagpur2,913.172,293,90985.6714.33
GhatalGhatal953.091,047,67987.9412.06
Paschim Medinipur districtMidnapore6,307.764,776,90986.2813.72

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises three subdivisions: Kharagpur, Medinipur Sadar and Ghatal. Kharagpur subdivision consists of Kharagpur municipality and ten community development blocks: Dantan–I, Dantan–II, Pingla, Kharagpur–I, Kharagpur–II, Sabang, Mohanpur, Narayangarh, Keshiari and Debra. Medinipur Sadar subdivision consists of Midnapore municipality and six community development blocks: Medinipur Sadar, Garhbeta–I, Garhbeta–II, Garhbeta–III, Keshpur and Shalboni. Ghatal subdivision consists of five municipalities (Ramjibanpur, Chandrakona, Khirpai, Kharar and Ghatal) and five community development blocks: Chandrakona–I, Chandrakona–II, Daspur–I, Daspur–II and Ghatal. | url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs(RevisedMarch-2008).doc | title = Directory of District, Sub division, Panchayat Samiti/ Block and Gram Panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008 | date = 19 March 2008 | accessdate = 6 December 2008 | work = West Bengal | publisher = National Informatics Centre, India }}</ref>

Midnapore is the district headquarters. There are 28 police stations, 29 development blocks, 8 municipalities and 290 gram panchayats in this district.Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocks which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 12 urban units: 8 municipalities and 4 census towns.

Kharagpur subdivision

Medinipur Sadar subdivision

Ghatal subdivision

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Paschim Medinipur district has a population of 5,943,300,roughly equal to the nation of Eritrea or the US state of Missouri.This gives it a ranking of 14th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 636 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,650/sq mi) .Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 14.44%.Paschim Medinipur has a sex ratio of 960 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 79.04%.

Culture

Tourism

Notable personalities

Education

Universities and colleges

Healthcare

The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the subdivision-wise medical facilities available and patients treated, after the separation of Jhargram, in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2014 in Paschim Medinipur district.

Subdivision Health & Family Welfare Deptt, WB Other
State
Govt
Deptts		 Local
bodies		 Central
Govt
Deptts /
PSUs		 NGO /
Private
Nursing
Homes		 Total Total
Number
of
Beds		 Total
Number
of
Doctors		 Indoor
Patients		 Outdoor
Patients
Hospitals
 Rural
Hospitals
 Block
Primary
Health
Centres
 Primary
Health
Centres
Medinipur Sadar 2 5 1 15 3 - 1 26 53 2,117 323 121,486 1,375,817
Kharagpur 2 8 2 27 2 1 2 54 98 1841 197 93,110 1,814,309
Ghatal 1 4 1 15 - - - 46 67 988 66 46,006 742,984
Paschim Medinipur district 5 17 24 77 5 1 3 126 208 4,946 586* 260,602 3,933,110

References

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