Gopiballavpur 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

Jhargram subdivision Jhargram Sadar Subdivision is an administrative Subdivision (till now only Subdivision) of the Jhargram district in the state of West Bengal, India. It became part of the Jhargram district from 4 April 2017 after splitting from the Paschim Medini ...

Jhargram district Jhargram is a district in the state of West Bengal, India.The district lies between the Kangsabati River in the north and the Subarnarekha in the south. Jhargram has one of the lowest population densities among the districts of West Bengal, ...

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

Naxalite movement in Debra-Gopiballavpur

In 1968 many revolutionary intellectuals, broadly termed as Naxalites, settled in Gopiballavpur. Amongst them was

Santosh Rana Santosh Rana (1942 – 29 June 2019) was an Indian politician. In the 1960s, he was a prominent figure in the armed struggle of the Naxalites led by Charu Majumdar. Rana received Ananda Puraskar for his book ''Rajnitir Ek Jibon'' in 2018. A ...

, who was a local person. In September 1969 a guerrilla squad killed an oppressive landlord. The landlords fled to the towns and a big peasant movement began. Landlords’ crops were forcibly harvested. Around 150 people were killed. Santosh Rana was the key figure in virtually “liberating” Debra, Gopiballavpur and neighbouring areas in West Bengal, as well as in Odisha and Jharkhand (then it was Bihar). The movement gradually split and collapsed in the early seventies.

Red corridor

106 districts spanning 10 states across India, described as being a 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, and others active in different political parties, 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 Gopiballavpur II CD block 55% of the cultivated area has infertile

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 and 45% 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. Gopiballavpur II CD Block is drought prone with a particularly severe drought situation. Chorchita, a constituent gram panchayat of Gopiballavpur II block is located at . Gopiballavpur II CD block is bounded by

Jamboni Jamboni (also spelled Jambani) is a village and a gram panchayat in the Jamboni CD block in the Jhargram subdivision of the Jhargram district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Jamboni is located at . Area overview Jharg ...

and

Jhargram Jhargram is a city and a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jhargram district. It is a popular tourist destination known for its forests, ancient temples and royal pala ...

CD blocks in the north,

Sankrail Sankrail 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 Sankrail is located at . It has an average elevation of 2& ...

CD block in the east,

Gopiballavpur I Gopiballavpur I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Jhargram subdivision of Jhargram district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Naxalite movement in Debra-Gopiballavpur In 1968 many revolutionary i ...

CD block in the south and

Chakulia Chakulia or Chakuliya is a Notified Area Council (NAC) an4thMunicipal Corporation in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India.It is 71 km from Jamshedpur city, the district headquarter. Chakulia ...

and

Baharagora Baharagora is a village in the Baharagora CD block in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district, in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History Baharagora CD block was established in 1956. Geography Location Baharagora is locate ...

CD blocks, in

East Singhbhum district East Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, India. It was created on 16 January 1990. More than 50% of the district is covered by dense forests and mountains, where wild animals once roamed freely. It is known for being a centre of ind ...

in Jharkhand, in the west. It is located 51 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. Gopiballavpur II CD block has an area of 192.17 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 7

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, 78 gram sansads (village councils), 192

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 175 inhabited villages.

Beliaberah Beliaberah (also referred to as Beliabera, Belaberya) is a village in the Gopiballavpur II CD block in the Jhargram subdivision of the Jhargram district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Beliaberah is located at . Area ...

police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Beliaberah (Belaberya). Gopiballavpur II CD block had a forest cover of 1,110 hectares, against a total geographical area of 19,777 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 Gopiballavpur II block/ panchayat samiti are: Beliaberah, Chorchita, Kharbandhi, Kuliana, Nota, Petnindhi and Tapsia.

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 ...

, Gopiballavpur II CD block had a total population of 104,996, all of which were rural. There were 53,459 (51%) males and 51,537 (49%) females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 11,851.

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 32,553 (31.00%) 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 24,562 (23.39%). According to the 2001 census, Gopiballavpur II block had a total population of 93,276, out of which 47,813 were males and 45,463 were females. Gopiballavpur II block registered a population growth of 13.64 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 Gopiballavpur II CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Chorchita (4,383). Other villages in Gopiballavpur II CD block include (2011 census figures in brackets): Petbindhi (3,847), Tapsia (1,779), Nota (974), Kuliana (1,777) and Belaberya (1,685).

Literacy

According to the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in Gopiballavpur II CD block was 66,503 (71.40% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 38,092 (80.45% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 28,411 (62.05% of the female population over 6 years). The gender gap in literacy rates was 18.41%. 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 102,125 and formed 97.26% of the population in Gopiballavpur II CD block. Muslims numbered 1,108 and formed 1.06% of the population. Others numbered 1,763 and formed 1.68% of the population. Others include Addi Bassi, Marang Boro, Santal, Saranath, Sari Dharma, Sarna, Alchchi, Bidin, Sant, Saevdharm, Seran, Saran, Sarin, Kheria, Christian and other religious communities.

BPL families

In Gopiballavpur II CD block 47.72% 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

175 or 91% of mouzas in Gopiballavpur II CD block were electrified by 31 March 2014. 175 mouzas in Gopiballavpur II CD block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 52 fertiliser depots, 9 seed stores and 40 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 Gopiballavpur II CD block could be classified as follows:

s 5.03%, patta (document) holders 33.27%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 2.00%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 17.61% and agricultural labourers 42.09%. In 2005-06 gross cropped area in Gopiballavpur II CD block was 29,020 hectares and the area in which more than one crop was grown was 13,455 hectares. The extension of irrigation has played a role in growth of the predominantly agricultural economy. In 2013-14, the total area irrigated in Gopiballavpur II CD block was 4,500 hectares, out of which 200 hectares were irrigated by tank water, 125 hectares by deep tubewells, 4,000 hectares by shallow tube wells, 125 hectares by river lift irrigation and 55 hectares by open dug wells. In 2013-14, Gopiballavpur II CD block produced 65,765 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 30,753 hectares, 6,276 tonnes of Aus paddy (summer crop) from 2,773 hectares, 2,935 tonnes of Boro paddy (spring crop) from 951 hectares, 1,617 tonnes of wheat from 562 hectares and 191,902 tonnes of potatoes from 5,024 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds.

Banking

In 2013-14, Gopiballavpur II CD block had offices of 8 commercial banks.

Transport

Gaopiballavpur II CD block has 8 originating/ terminating bus routes. The nearest railway station is 42 km from the CD block headquarters. State Highway 9 running from Durgapur (in Paschim Bardhaman district) to Nayagram (in Jhargram district) passes through this CD block.

Education

In 2013-14, Gopiballavpur II CD block had 135 primary schools with 7,237 students, 13 middle schools with 1,366 students, 3 high schools with 3,411 students and 14 higher secondary schools with 10,449 students. Gopiballavpur II CD block had 254 institutions for special and non-formal education with 7,703 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 Gopiballavpur II CD block out of the total 135 primary schools in 2008-2009, 114 had pucca buildings, 5 partially pucca, 2 kucha and 14 multiple type.

Government General Degree College, Gopiballavpur-II Government General Degree College, Gopiballavpur-II, also known as Beliabera Government College, established in 2015,. is the government degree college in Jhargram district. It offers undergraduate courses in arts and science. It is affiliated ...

, established in 2015, is the only general degree college in this block.

Healthcare

In 2014, Gopiballavpur II CD block had 1 rural hospital and 3 primary health centres with total 52 beds and 5 doctors. It had 22 family welfare sub centres and 1 family welfare centre. 6,901 patients were treated indoor and 104,518 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD block. Tapsia Rural Hospital, with 30 beds at Tapsia, is a major government medical facility in the Gopiballavpur II CD block. There are primary health centres at: Tentulia (PO Jahanpur) (with 10 beds), Ramchandrapur (PO Kharbandhi) (with 6 beds) and Nota (PO Dhandangri) (with 6 beds).

References

{{Jhargram district topics Community development blocks in Jhargram district