Garhbeta II 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

Medinipur Sadar subdivision Medinipur Sadar subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Subdivisions Paschim Medinipur district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions, after separati ...

Paschim Medinipur district Paschim Medinipur district or West Midnapore district (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 M ...

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

Red corridor

106 districts spanning 10 states across India, described as being part of the

Left Wing Extremism Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

activities, constitutes the

Red corridor The red corridor, also called the red zone, is the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts of India where the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency has the strongest presence. It has been steadily diminishing in terms of geographical cove ...

. In West Bengal the districts of Pashim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum are part of the Red corridor. However, as of July 2016, there has been no reported incidents of

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

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. The Lalgarh movement, which started attracting attention after the failed assassination attempt on

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also known as Buddha Babu (born 1 March 1944) is an Indian Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and ...

, then chief minister of West Bengal, in the Salboni area of Paschim Medinipur district, on 2 November 2008 and the police action that followed, had also spread over to these areas. The movement was not just a political struggle but an armed struggle that concurrently took the look of a social struggle. A large number of CPI (M) activists were killed. Although the epi-centre of the movement was Lalgarh, it was spread across 19 police stations in three adjoining districts – Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia, all thickly forested and near the border with Jharkhand. The deployment of

CRPF 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 lie ...

and other forces started on 11 June 2009. The movement came to an end after the 2011 state assembly elections and change of government in West Bengal. The death of

Kishenji Mallojula Koteswara Rao (26 November 1954 – 24 November 2011), commonly known by his ''nom de guerre'' Kishenji (), was an Indian political leader who was a Politburo and Central Military Commission member of the Communist Party of India (Ma ...

, the

commander, on 24 November 2011 was the last major landmark. From 2009 Maoist violence had rapidly spread across eleven western CD blocks of the district: Binpur I, Binpur II, Salboni, Grahbeta II, Jamboni, Jhargram, Midnapore Sadar, Gopiballavpur I, Gopiballavpur II, Sankrail and Nayagram.

Geography

In Garhbeta II CD block 90% of the cultivated area has

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

soil and 10% has

lateritic Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

soil. Garhbeta II CD block is drought prone. Goaltore, a constituent panchayat of Garhbeta II CD block, is located at . Garhbeta II CD block is bounded by

Taldangra Taldangra is a village in the Taldangra CD block in the Khatra subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Taldangra is located at . Area overview The map alongside shows the Khatra subdivisi ...

and

Simlapal Simlapal is a census town in the Simlapal CD block in the Khatra subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Simlapal is located at . Area overview The map alongside shows the Khatra subdivis ...

CD blocks in Bankura district in the north,

Garhbeta I Garhbeta I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography In Garhbeta I CD block 85% of the cultivated area has al ...

and

Garhbeta III Garhbeta III is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography In Garhbeta III CD block 95% of the cultivated area ha ...

CD blocks in the east,

Salboni Salboni (also written as Salbani) is a village in the Salboni CD block, in the Medinipur Sadar subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Salboni is the location of one of the Reserve Bank of India curre ...

CD block in the south and

Sarenga Sarenga is a census town in Sankrail CD Block of Howrah Sadar subdivision in Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration. Geography Sarenga is located at . It has an average elevation of . ...

CD block in Bankura district in the west. It is located 53 km from

Midnapore Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

, the district headquarters. Garhbeta II CD block has an area of 392.55 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 10

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, 110 gram sansads (village councils), 334

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 264 inhabited villages.

Garhbeta Garbeta is a census town in the Garhbeta I CD block in the Medinipur Sadar subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is on the bank of the Shilabati. ''Gar'' in Bengali means a nullah. The boundary of ...

and

Goaltore Goaltore, also spelled Goaltor, is a village in the Garhbeta II CD block in the Medinipur Sadar subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal, India. Geography Location Goaltore is located at . Area overview There are large f ...

police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at

. Garhbeta II CD block had a forest cover of 7,460 hectares, against a total geographical area of 43,970 hectares in 2005-06.

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 of Garhbeta II block/ panchayat samiti are: Amlasuli, Goaltore, Gohaldanga, Jirapara, Jogardnga, Makli, Patharpara, Piasala, Pingboni and Saraboth.

Demographics

Population

According to the

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 ...

Garhbeta II CD block had a total population of 148,410, all of which were rural. There were 75,165 (51%) males and 73,245 (49%) females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 17,102.

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 39,301 (26.48%) 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 29,669 (19.99%). As per the 2001 census, Garhbeta II block had a total population of 131,085, out of which 66,954 were males and 64,131 were females. Garhbeta II block registered a population growth of 18.59 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the combined Midnapore district was 14.87 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.45 per cent. Villages in Garhbeta II CD block include (2011 census figures in brackets):

(693), Makli (1,224),

Pingboni Pingboni is a village and gram panchayat in the Garhbeta II CD block in the Medinipur Sadar subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Pingboni is located at . Area overview Paschi ...

(2,366), Amlasuli (2,169),

Piasala Piasala is a village and gram panchayat in Garhbeta II CD Block in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography The area lies south of the Shilabati and is close to Hoomgarh Forest. ...

(1,848), Gohaldanga (1,577), Sarbot (423), Jirapara (1,455), Patharpara (308) and Jagardanga (1,967).

Literacy

According to the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in Garhbeta II CD block was 99,621 (75.87% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 55,877 (84.14% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 43,744 (67.41% of the female population over 6 years).The gender gap in literacy rates was 16.73%. 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

According to the ''District Census Handbook, Paschim Medinipur, 2011 census,'' as of 2001, Bengali was the mother-tongue of 90.5% of the population of Paschim Medinipur district, followed by Santali (4.6%),

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 ...

(1.4%), Kurmali Thar (0.7%),

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

(0.6%),

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

(0.4%), Mundari (0.2%), Koda/ Kora (0.1%), Munda (0.1%) and Nepali (0.1%). There were people, forming lesser proportion of population, having other languages as mother-tongue. People with other mother-tongues formed 0.7% of the population. There is a tribal presence in many of the CD blocks of the district. Santali is spoken by 55.93% of the tribal population of the district. The

Bhumij Bhumij may refer to: *Bhumij people, tribal ethnic group of India * Bhumij language, the language of Bhumij people *Bhumija Bhumija is a variety of north Indian temple architecture marked by how the rotating square-circle principle is applied to ...

, forming 11.16% of the tribal population, and the

Mundas The Munda people are an Austroasiatic speaking ethnic group of India. They predominantly speak the Mundari language as their native language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found mainly concentra ...

, forming 6.10% of the tribal population, speak Mundari. Other small groups include Koras and Mahalis. The Lodhas, forming 3.85% of the tribal population, the only primitive tribe in the district, speak Lodhi. According to the West Bengal Official Language Act 1961 and the West Bengal Official Language (Amendment Act) 2012, the Bengali language is to be used for official purposes in the whole of West Bengal. In addition to Bengali, the Nepali language is to be used for official purposes in the three hills subdivisions, namely Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, in the district of Darjeeling, and Urdu is to be used for official purposes in district/subdivision/ block/ municipality where the population speaking Urdu exceeds 10% of the total population. The English language will continue to be used for official purposes as it was being used prior to the enactment of these laws. The West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2012, included Hindi, Santhali, Odiya and Punjabi as official languages if it is spoken by a population exceeding 10 per cent of the whole in a particular block or sub-division or a district. Subsequently, Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi and Kurmali were also included in the list of minority languages by the West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018. However, as of 2020, there is no official / other reliable information about the areas covered. Census 2011 provides language data only at the district and above level. In the 2011 census Hindus numbered 111,848 and formed 75.36% of the population in Garhbeta II CD block. Muslims numbered 5,637 and formed 3.80% of the population. Others numbered 30,925 and formed 20.84% of the population. Others include Addi Bassi, Marang Boro, Santal, Saranath, Sari Dharma, Sarna, Alchchi, Bidin, Sant, Saevdharm, Seran, Saran, Sarin, Kheria, Christians and other religious communities.

BPL families

In Garhbeta II CD block 50.76% families were living

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 2007. According to the 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 ...

of Paschim Medinipur: The 29 CD blocks of the district were classified into four categories based on the poverty ratio. Nayagram, Binpur II and Jamboni CD blocks have very high poverty levels (above 60%). Kharagpur I, Kharagpur II, Sankrail, Garhbeta II, Pingla and Mohanpur CD blocks have high levels of poverty (50-60%), Jhargram, Midnapore Sadar, Dantan I, Gopiballavpur II, Binpur I, Dantan II, Keshiari, Chandrakona I, Gopiballavpur I, Chandrakona II, Narayangarh, Keshpur, Ghatal, Sabang, Garhbeta I, Salboni, Debra and Garhbeta III CD blocks have moderate levels of poverty (25-50%) and Daspur II and Daspur I CD blocks have low levels of poverty (below 25%).

Economy

Infrastructure

265 or 79% of mouzas in Garhbeta II CD block were electrified by 31 March 2014. 275 mouzas in Garhbeta II CD block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 96 fertiliser depots, 105 seed stores and 35 fair price shops in the CD block.

Agriculture

Although the Bargadari Act of 1950 recognised the rights of

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 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 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 ...

land ownership pattern has undergone transformation. In 2013-14, persons engaged in agriculture in Garhbeta II CD block could be classified as follows:

s 3.31%, patta (document) holders 30.11%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 3.24%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 23.90% and agricultural labourers 39.44%. In 2005-06 the net cropped area in Garhbeta II CD block was 15,100 hectares and the area in which more than one crop was grown was 12,527 hectares. The extension of irrigation has played a role in growth of the predominantly agricultural economy. In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Garhbeta II CD block was 15,545 hectares, out of which 10,000 hectares were irrigated by canal water, 1,070 hectares by tank water, 530 hectares by deep tubewells, 2,540 hectares by shallow tube wells, 300 hectares by river lift irrigation, 705 hectares by open dug wells and 400 hectares by other methods. In 2013-14, Garhbeta II CD block produced 36,526 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 20,990 hectares, 5,268 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 1,800 hectares, 7,929 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 2,450 hectares, 721 tonnes of wheat from 342 hectares and 67,422 tonnes of potatoes from 5,740 hectares. It also produced oilseeds.

Banking

In 2013-14, Garhbeta II CD block had offices of 11 commercial banks and 1

gramin bank Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are government owned scheduled commercial banks of India that operate at regional level in different states of India. These banks are under the ownership of Ministry of Finance , Government of India. They were creat ...

. At Goaltore available United bank of India with A.T.M facility, at Debgram (2 km from Goaltore) State bank of India and at Pingboni Punjab National Bank with A.T.M also.

Transport

Garhbeta II CD block has 1 ferry service and 16 originating/ terminating bus routes. The nearest railway station is 19 km from the CD block headquarters. State Highway 4 running from Jhalda (in Purulia district) to Digha (in Purba Medinipur district) passes through this block.

Education

In 2013-14, Garhbeta II CD block had 166 primary schools with 9,775 students, 15 middle schools with 2,379 students, 1 high school with 1,423 students and 16 higher secondary schools with 17,658 students. Garhbeta II CD block had 1 general college with 650 students and 378 institutions for special and non-formal education with 10,126 students. The

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

considers the combined primary and secondary enrolment ratio as the simple indicator of educational achievement of the children in the school going age. The infrastructure available is important. In Garhbeta II CD block out of the total 166 primary schools in 2008-2009, 69 had pucca buildings, 21 partially pucca, 2 kacha and 74 multiple type. The

Santal Bidroha Sardha Satabarsiki Mahavidyalaya Santal Bidroha Sardha Satabarsiki Mahavidyalaya, also known as Goaltore College, is an undergraduate, coeducational college situated in Goaltore, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. It was established in the year 2005. The college is under Vidyasa ...

is a coeducational college at

, established in 2005. It offers honours courses in Bengali, Santali, Sanskrit, English, geography, history, political science, philosophy, mathematics, chemistry, nutrition and zoology.

Healthcare

In 2014, Garhbeta II CD block had 1 rural hospital and 2 primary health centres with total 44 beds and 7 doctors. It had 28 family welfare sub centres and 1 family welfare centre. 2,661 patients were treated indoor and 100,490 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD block. Kewakole Rural Hospital, with 30 beds at

, is the major government medical facility in the Garhbeta II CD block. There are primary health centres at Charubala (PO Bulanpur) (with 4 beds) and Babuidanga (PO Amlasuli) (with 10 beds).

References

{{Paschim Medinipur topics Community development blocks in Paschim Medinipur district