Deganga is a

community development block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...

that forms an administrative division in

North 24 Parganas district North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and f ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

History

The saga of the

Vidyadhari River Bidyadhari River (also spelt Bidyadhari or simply called Bidya), is a river in the Indian state of West Bengal. It originates near Haringhata in Nadia district and then flows through Deganga, Habra and Barasat areas of North 24 Parganas before ...

, which flows through the Deganga area, has been part of local folklore since time immemorial. The river had formed a major navigation route for earlier civilisations. In the 3rd century BC, the nearby river port of

Chandraketugarh Chandraketugarh is a 2,500 years old archaeological site located near the Bidyadhari river, about north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Harua Road railhead. Once it was a ...

was on the banks of this river. There still are tell-tale signs of that bygone era, and efforts are on near

Berachampa Berachampa Deulia, or commonly known as Berachampa (Bengali: বেড়াচাঁপা), is a census town in the Deganga CD block in the Barasat Sadar subdivision in the Deganga CD block of the North 24 Parganas district in the Indian sta ...

to find more evidence of a lost civilization, possibly Meryan. The source of the river is located near

Haringhata Haringhata is a town and a municipality of the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Haringhata is located at . It has an average elevation of 10 metres (33 feet). Municipality Haringhata, earlier ...

in Nadia. Later it winds down through the area before meeting the Raimangal at the confluence of

Sundarbans Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly R ...

Geography

Berachampa, with the CD Block offices, is located at . Deganga CD Block is bounded by

Habra I Habra I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Barasat Sadar subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Sadpur, a census town in Habra I block, is located at . Hab ...

CD Block in the north,

Baduria Baduria is a city and a municipality in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Baduria is located at . It has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 feet). Area ove ...

and

Basirhat I Basirhat I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Basirhat is located at . Basirhat I CD Block is bounded by ...

CD Blocks in the east, Haroa CD Block in the south and

Barasat I Barasat I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Barasat Sadar subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Barasat I block, is located at . Barasat I CD Block is bo ...

and

Barasat II Barasat II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Barasat Sadar subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Rohanda, a constituent panchayat of Barasat II block, is ...

CD Blocks in the west. Deganga CD Block is part of the North Bidyadhari Plain, one of the three physiographic regions in the district located in the lower Ganges Delta. The area is full of marshes and salt water lakes. The Bidyadhari has a long course through the central part of the district. The Bidyadhari forms the eastern boundary of Deganga CD Block with

and

CD Blocks. Deganga CD Block has an area of 202.09 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 13

gram panchayat Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bod ...

s, 181 gram sansads (village councils), 108

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 108 inhabited villages, as per the District Statistical Handbook: North 24 Parganas.

Deganga Deganga is a community development block that forms an administrative division in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History The saga of the Vidyadhari River, which flows through the Deganga area, has been part o ...

police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at

Deulia Deulia is a census town in the Deganga CD block in the Barasat Sadar subdivision of the North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Deulia is located at . Berachampa and Deganga are located nearby.Googl ...

. Deganga is an intermediate

panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...

(local self-government) under North 24 Parganas district. Village panchayats under it are – Amulia, Berachampa I & II, Chakla, Champatala, Chaurashi, Deganga I & II, Hadipur-Jikhra I & II, Kolsur, Nurnagar and Sohai-Shetpur.

Social turmoil

2010 anti-Hindu riots

The 2010 Deganga riots began on 6 September when a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

mob resorted to

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

and

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

on the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

localities of Deganga, Kartikpur and Beliaghata under the Deganga police station area. The violence began late in the evening and continued throughout the night into the next morning. The district police,

Rapid Action Force The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India to deal with riot and crowd control situations. History RAF was raised on 11 December 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi. It became fully opera ...

all failed to stop the

mob violence A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

Central Reserve Police Force The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role li ...

was finally deployed. The Central Reserve Police Force staged a flag march on the Taki Road, while Islamist violence continued unabated in the interior villages off the Taki Road, till Wednesday in spite of army presence and promulgation of prohibitory orders under section 144 of the

CrPC The Code of Criminal Procedure commonly called Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) is the main legislation on Procedural law, procedure for administration of Substantive law, substantive criminal law in India. It was enacted in 1973 and came into fo ...

. The violence finally calmed down on 9 September after Several of Hindu business establishments and residences were looted, destroyed and burnt, dozens of Hindus were severely injured and many muslims also and one Muslim person dead by shooting and several Hindu temples were desecrated and vandalized.

Demographics

Population

As per

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

Deganga CD Block had a total population of 319,213, of which 309,550 were rural and 9,663 were urban. There were 163,154 (51%) males and 156,059 (49%) females. Population below 6 years was 39,415.

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

numbered 39,027 (12.23%) and

Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

numbered 2,560 (0.80%). Deganga (village) had a population of 3,377 as per 2011 census. In the 2001 census, Deganaga

had a population of 276,049 out of which 141,545 were males and 134,504 were females. There is only one

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

in Deganga CD Block (2011 census figure in brackets):

(9,633). Large villages in Deganga CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Fazilpur (4,084), Sohai (4,858), Biswanathpur (4,585), Kaliani (5,525), Chyandana (7,188), Khejurdanga (4,370), Belgachhia (4,026), Subrnapur (6,380), Parpatna (6,558), Uttar Kalsur (9,051), Dakshin Kalsur (6,731), Basudebpur (4,580), Matikumra (4,651), Amulia (4,443), Alipur (7,801), Kaukepara (8,707), Nandipara Kuchemora (4,936), Jadabpur (6,390), Chandpur (8,780), Keadanga (4,682), Hadipur Churijhara (9,971), Jhikra (4,315) and Abjan Nagar (5,544). North 24 Parganas district is densely populated, mainly because of the influx of refugees from East Pakistan (later Bangladesh). With a density of population of 2,182 per km² in 1971, it was 3rd in terms of density per km² in West Bengal after Kolkata and Howrah, and 20th in India. According to the District Human Development Report: North 24 Parganas, "High density is also explained partly by the rapid growth of urbanization in the district. In 1991, the percentage of urban population in the district has been 51.23." Decadal

Population Growth Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

Rate (%) The decadal growth of population in Deganga CD Block in 2001-2011 was 15.93%. The decadal growth of population in Deganga CD Block in 1991-2001 was 18.10%. The decadal growth rate of population in North 24 Parganas district was as follows: 47.9% in 1951-61, 34.5% in 1961-71, 31.4% in 1971-81, 31.7% in 1981-91, 22.7% in 1991-2001 and 12.0% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal was 17.84% in 1991-2001, 24.73% in 1981-1991 and 23.17% in 1971-1981. Only a small portion of the border with Bangladesh has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border. It is freely used by Bangladeshi infiltrators, terrorists, smugglers, criminals. et al.

Literacy

As per the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Deganga CD Block was 222,866 (79.65% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 118,553 (82.84% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 104,313 (76.32% of the female population over 6 years). The

gender disparity Sex differences in humans have been studied in a variety of fields. Sex determination occurs by the presence or absence of a Y in the 23rd pair of chromosomes in the human genome. Phenotypic sex refers to an individual's sex as determined by the ...

(the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 6.52%. 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 Ce ...

Language and religion

As per census definition, mother-tongue is the language spoken in childhood by the person's mother to the person. As a mother-tongue,

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 ...

has decreased its share from 91.3% of the population of North Twenty Four Parganas district in 1961 to 87.9% in 2001,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

has increased its share from 5.0% in 1961 to 8.3% in 2001,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

North 24 Parganas: minority concentrated district

Rural Poverty

14.29% of households in Deganga CD Block lived

below poverty line Below Poverty Line is a benchmark used by the government of India to indicate economic disadvantage and to identify individuals and households in need of government assistance and aid. It is determined using various parameters which vary from s ...

in 2001, against an average of 29.28% in North 24 Parganas district.

Economy

Livelihood

In Deganga CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 23,253 and formed 20.81% of the total workers, agricultural labourers numbered 39,917 and formed 35.72%, household industry workers numbered 6,107 and formed 5.47% and other workers numbered 42,458 and formed 38.00%. Total workers numbered 111,735 and formed 35.00% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 207,478 and formed 65.00% of the population. In more than 30 percent of the villages in North 24 Parganas, agriculture or household industry is no longer the major source of livelihood for the main workers there. The CD Blocks in the district can be classified as belonging to three categories: border areas, Sundarbans area and other rural areas. The percentage of other workers in the other rural areas category is considerably higher than those in the border areas and Sundarbans area. Note: In the census records a person is considered a cultivator, if the person is engaged in cultivation/ supervision of land owned by self/government/institution. When a person who works on another person's land for wages in cash or kind or share, is regarded as an agricultural labourer. Household industry is defined as an industry conducted by one or more members of the family within the household or village, and one that does not qualify for registration as a factory under the Factories Act. Other workers are persons engaged in some economic activity other than cultivators, agricultural labourers and household workers. It includes factory, mining, plantation, transport and office workers, those engaged in business and commerce, teachers, entertainment artistes and so on.

Infrastructure

There are 107 inhabited villages in Deganga CD Block, as per the District Census Handbook: North 24 Parganas. 100% villages have power supply. 106 villages (99.07%) have drinking water supply. 18 villages (16.82%) have post offices. 107 villages (100%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 38 villages (35.51%) have a pucca approach road and 35 villages (32.71%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 13 villages (12.15%) have agricultural credit societies and 12 villages (11.21 ) have banks.

Agriculture

The North 24 Parganas district

Human Development Report The Human Development Report (HDR) is an annual Human Development Index report published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The first HDR was launched in 1990 by the Pakistani economist ...

opines that in spite of agricultural productivity in North 24 Parganas district being rather impressive 81.84% of rural population suffered from shortage of food. With a high urbanisation of 54.3% in 2001, the land use pattern in the district is changing quite fast and the area under cultivation is declining. However, agriculture is still the major source of livelihood in the rural areas of the district. From 1977 on wards major

land reforms Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

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 2010-11, persons engaged in agriculture in Deganga CD Block could be classified as follows:

bargadar Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

s 2,113 (3.39%), patta (document) holders 5,399 (8.67%), small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 3,965 (6.37%), marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 25,590 (41.10%) and agricultural labourers 25,202 (40.47%). Deganga CD Block had no fertiliser depots, no seed stores and no fair price shops in 2010-11. In 2010-11, Deganga CD Block produced 21,270 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop from 8,622 hectares, 30,470 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 8,827 hectares, 1,172 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 450 hectares, 3,146 tonnes of wheat from 1,184 hectares, 118,845 tonnes of jute from 5,068 hectares and 63,363 tonnes of potatoes from 1,398 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds. In 2010-11, the total area irrigated in Degnaga CD Block was 249 hectares, out of which 212 hectares were irrigated by deep tube well and 37 hectares by shallow tube well.

Pisciculture

In 2010-11, the net area under effective pisciculture in Deganga CD Block was 1,636.18 hectares. 30,088 persons were engaged in the profession. Approximate annual production was 49,085.4 quintals.

Banking

In 2010-11, Deganga CD Block had offices of 10 commercial banks and 2 gramin banks.

Transport

SH 2 passes through this CD Block.

Education

In 2010-11, Deganga CD Block had 167 primary schools with 17,737 students, 3 middle schools with 470 students, 9 high schools with 8,429 students and 15 higher secondary schools with 22,806 students. Deganga CD Block had 1 general college with 3,241 students, 1 professional/ technical institution with 567 students and 439 institutions for special and non-formal education with 25,696 students. As per the 2011 census, in Deganga CD Block, amongst the 107 inhabited villages, 1 village did not have a school, 63 villages had more than 1 primary school, 53 villages had at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 30 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.

Chandraketugarh Sahidullah Smriti Mahavidyalaya Chandraketugarh Sahidullah Smriti Mahavidyalaya, established in 1997, is a general degree college in Berachampa. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to West Bengal State University. . ...

was established at

in 1997.

Healthcare

In 2011, Deganga CD Block had 1 block primary health centre and 3 primary health centres, with total 15 beds and 5 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had 37 family welfare subcentres. 222 patients were treated indoors and 28,019 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block. Biswanathpur Rural Hospital at

with 30 beds functions as the main medical facility in Deganga CD Block. There are , primary health centres at Ajinagar (Hadipur-Jhikra PHC with 6 beds), Chakla (Raypur Chakla PHC with 10 beds), Deganga (Kolsur PHC with 10 beds) and Kartickpur (with 6 beds). Deganga is one of the areas where groundwater is affected by arsenic contamination. In Kolsur in Deganga area, Pal Trockner's arsenic removal technology was used at an expenditure of over Rs 30 million. Experts feel that the entire expenditure has gone waste. Aqua Welfare Society, a non government organization (NGO), has been providing arsenic safe water to the local through rain water harvesting. They are providing the water through modified dugwells, the water which is treated with chlorine regularly. AWS has organised several interactive workshops including one on water at Kolsur High School, on 26 November 2006. The participants were informed that by 2009 the state government had planned to provide water through pipelines that would either be treated river water or water from the third aquifer (deep tubewell) that is arsenic free. However, it was also mentioned that the remote villages where it would be difficult to provide the pipelines the villagers would need to use alternate sources for their drinking water.

References

{{North 24 Parganas topics Community development blocks in North 24 Parganas district