Ghatal 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

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

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 ...

Geography

In Ghatal CD block the soil is fertile alluvial and the area is a flat deltaic country intersected by numerous rivers and water courses. It is a flood prone area and is affected by water logging in the rainy season. 95% 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 5% 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. Ghatal is located at . Ghatal CD block is bounded by

Goghat I Goghat I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Arambag subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The Goghat I CD Block is part of the western uplands, which is an extension of ...

CD block, in Hooghly district, in the north,

Khanakul I Khanakul Town is city in Arambag subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The Khanakul I CD Block is part of the Dwarakeswar-Damodar inter-riverine plain with alluvial soil. The Mundeswari flows through the reg ...

and

Khanakul II Khanakul II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Arambag subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The Khanakul II CD Block is part of the Dwarakeswar-Damodar inter-riverine p ...

CD blocks, in Hooghly district, in the east,

Daspur I Daspur I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Ghatal subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography In Daspur I CD block, the area is a flat deltaic country intersecte ...

CD block in the south and

Chandrakona I Chandrakona I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Ghatal subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography In Chandrakona I CD block is a flat deltaic country intersected ...

CD block in the west. It is located 58 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. Ghatal CD block has an area of 216.05 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 12

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, 166 gram sansads (village councils), 145

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 139 inhabited villages.

Ghatal Ghatal is a city and a municipality in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Ghatal subdivision. History In ancient times, when Tamralipta was an active port, Ghatal had its own ‘Bandar’ (port), 3&n ...

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

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 Ghatal block/ panchayat samiti are: Ajabnagar I, Ajabnagar II, Birsingha, Dewanchak I, Dewanchak II, Irhpala, Mansuka I, Mansuka II, Mohanpur, Monoharpur I, Monoharpur II and Sultanpur.

Notable people

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century. ...

, scholar, social reformer and a key figure of the

Bengal Renaissance Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, was born at

Birsingha Birsingha is a large village located in Ghatal Block of Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal. ''Birsingha'' village is famous for the birthplace of the great Bengali social reformer and the author of ''Varna Parichay'' Pandit Ishwar Chandra ...

, now in this CD block, on 26 September 1820.

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 ...

Ghatal CD block had a total population of 219,555, all of which were rural. There were 113,199 (52%) males and 106,356 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 25,546.

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 72,243 (32.90%) 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 3,681 (1.76%). As per the 2001 census, Ghatal block had a total population of 190,705, out of which 96,605 were males and 94,100 were females. Ghatal block registered a population growth of 11.83 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. Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Ghatal CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Sultanpur (4,206), Erpala (4,503), Mansukha (8,583), Dirghagram (4,513), Dwandipur (4,060), Radhanagar (5,827), Shilarajnagar (4,082), Pratappur (4,699), Ratneshwar Bati (4,176) and Gopmohal urf Manoharpur (7,010). Other villages in Ghatal CD block include (2011 census figures in brackets): Mohanpur (2,296), Ajabnagar (3,682),

(3,026), Dewanchak (536),

Alui Alui is a village in the Ghatal CD block in the Ghatal subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Alui is located at . Area overview Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, scholar, social reforme ...

(1,627),

Gangadaspur Gangadaspur is a village in the Ghatal CD block in the Ghatal subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located near Khirpai. Geography Location Gangadaspur is located at . Area overview Ishwar Ch ...

(365),

Iswarpur Iswarpur is a village in the Ghatal CD block in the Ghatal subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Iswarpur is located at . Area overview Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, scholar, soc ...

(880),

Jalshara Jalsara (জলসরা) is a village in the Ghatal CD block in the Ghatal subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Area overview Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, scholar, social reformer and a ...

(2,183), Lachhipur (854) and Radhanagar (5,827).

Literacy

According to the 2011 census the total number of literate persons in Ghatal CD block was 157,301 (81.08% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 88,481 (83.34% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 68,820 (73.33% of the female population over 6 years). The gender gap in literacy rates was 15.01%. 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. 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 197,488 and formed 89.95% of the population in Ghatal CD block. Muslims numbered 21,450 and formed 9.77% of the population. Others numbered 617 and formed 0.28% 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 Ghatal CD block 38.86% 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

139 or 80% of mouzas in Ghatal CD block were electrified by 31 March 2014. 145 mouzas in Ghatal CD block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 231 fertiliser depots, 100 seed stores and 50 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 fully implemented. 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 Ghatal CD block could be classified as follows:

s 10.12%, patta (document) holders 13.46%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 2.61%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 30.19% and agricultural labourers 43.62%. In 2005-06 the nett cropped area in Ghatal CD block was 19,800 hectares, out of a geographical area of 23,901 hectares, and the area in which more than one crop was grown was 16,326 hectares. The extension of irrigation has played a role in growth of the predominantly agricultural economy. In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Ghatal CD block was 13,730 hectares, out of which 70 hectares were irrigated by canal water, 250 hectares by tank water, 11,400 hectares by deep tubewells, 305 hectares by shallow tubewells, 1,700 hectares by river lift irrigation and 5 hectares by other methods. In 2013-14, Ghatal CD block produced 17,577 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 9,944 hectares, 4,536 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 1,959 hectares, 37,964 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 12,040 hectares, 16 tonnes of wheat from 7 hectares, 25,123 tonnes of jute from 1,448 hectares and 37,640 tonnes of potatoes from 2,289 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds.

Banking

In 2013-14, Ghatal CD block had offices of 11 commercial banks and 3 gramin banks.

Transport

Ghatal CD block has 13 ferry services and 7 originating/ terminating bus routes. The nearest railway station is 45 km from the CD block headquarters.

Education

In 2013-14, Ghatal CD block had 168 primary schools with 14,197 students, 5 middle schools with 278 students, 21 high schools with 8,235 students and 12 higher secondary schools with 9,953 students. Ghatal CD block had 375 institutions for special and non-formal education with 12,311 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 Ghatal CD block out of the total 168 primary schools in 2008-2009, 100 had pucca buildings, 21 partially pucca, 2 kucha and 45 multiple type. Ghatal Rabindra Satabirshiki Mahavidyalaya, established in 1961, is the general degree college in this block.

Culture

The Ghatal CD block has several heritage temples. File:Baro Chala temple of Buro Shiva at Jalsara under Ghatal Police Station in Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal 05.jpg,

: '' Baro chala'' Buro Shiva temple File:Pancharatna laterite stone built Gopinath temple at Radhanagar under Ghatal Police Station at Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal 04.jpg, Radhanagar: '' Pancha ratna'' Gopinath temple (in picture),

laterite 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 ...

built in 1718, at Radhanagar and ''Pancha ratna'' Singhabahini temple at Nabagram, built in 1709, with exquisite terracotta carvings, both endangered. File:Sridhara Nabaratna temple and Octagonal Rasmancha of Roy family at Alui village under Ghatal Police Station of Paschim Medinipur District in West Bengal 04.jpg,

: '' Nava ratna'' Sridhara temple with ''rasmancha'' built in 1880 (in picture) and another ''nava ratna'' temple built in 1860 (renovated), both with terracotta carvings. File:Sridharjiu Pancharatna Temple on a Flat roofed structure at Ishwarpur under Ghatal Police Station at Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal 10.jpg,

: '' Pancha ratna on a flat roof'' Sridharjiu temple. File:9 Pinnacled Sridhar Jiu Temple of Lachhipur under Ghatal Police Station in Paschim Medinipur district 09.jpg, Lachhipur: '' Nava ratna'' Sridharjiu temple, built in 1865, with large terracotta figures.

Healthcare

In 2014, Ghatal CD block had 1 block primary health centre and 2 primary health centres with total 26 beds and 7 doctors. It had 32 family welfare sub centres and 1 family welfare centre. 1,266 patients were treated indoor and 61,746 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD block. Vidyasagar Block Primary Health Centre, with 10 beds at

, is the major government medical facility in the Ghatal CD block. There are primary health centres at: Khasbarh (with 6 beds) and Natuk (with 10 beds).

References

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