Neturia is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the

Raghunathpur subdivision Raghunathpur subdivision is a subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. History Purulia district was divided into four subdivisions, viz., Purulia Sadar, Manbazar, Jhalda and Raghunathpur, with effect from 6 April 20 ...

of the

Purulia district Purulia district (Pron: puruliːaː) is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- ...

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

Background

The ''Jaina Bhagavati-Sutra'' of the 5th century AD mentions that Purulia was one of the sixteen

mahajanapadas The Mahājanapadas ( sa, great realm, from ''maha'', "great", and '' janapada'' "foothold of a people") were sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the second urban ...

and was a part of the kingdom known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient times. In 1833, the Manbhum district was carved out of the

Jungle Mahals Jungle Mahals, ( jungle estates) was a district formed by British possessions and some independent chiefdoms lying between Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapore and the hilly country of Chota Nagpur in what is now the Indian state of West Bengal.O’Malle ...

district, with headquarters at Manbazar. In 1838, the headquarters was transferred to

Purulia Purulia is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River. Geography Location Purulia is located at . It has an average elev ...

. After independence, when Manbhum district was a part of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

, efforts were made to impose Hindi on the Bengali-speaking majority of the district and it led to the

Bengali Language Movement (Manbhum) The Language Movement in Manbhum was a movement in Manbhum district, present day Purulia district of West Bengal state, during the late 1940s to mid-1950s, to fight for the mother tongue which is a variation of Bengali language and to protest the ...

. In 1956, the Manbhum district was partitioned between Bihar and West Bengal under the States Reorganization Act and the Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories) Act 1956.

Geography

Neturia is located at . The Neturia CD block is located in the north-western part of the district. The Damodar marks the northern boundary of the Neturia CD block. The Damodar Dwaraka upland is an extension of the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the bas ...

. The area is undulating with hillocks of hard rocks. The Neturia CD block is bounded by the

Nirsa Nirsa is a census town in Nirsa CD block in the Dhanbad Sadar subdivision of Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Geography Location Nirsa is located at . It has an average elevation of 139 metres (456 ft). Note: The map a ...

CD block, in the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, and the Asansol Municipal Corporation, in the Paschim Bardhaman district, both across the

Damodar River Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Rich in mineral resources, the valley is home to large-scale mining and industrial activity. Earlier known as the Sorrow of Bengal bec ...

on the north, the Santuri CD block on the east, the

Raghunathpur I Raghunathpur I is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Background The ''Jaina Bhagavati-Sutra'' of the ...

CD block on the south and the

Raghunathpur II Raghunathpur II is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Background The ''Jaina Bhagavati-Sutra'' of the ...

CD block on the west. The Neturia CD block has an area of 203.65 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, 73 gram sansads (village councils), 124

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, 110 inhabited villages and 3 census towns. Neturia police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block are at

Gobag Gobag is a village in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Gobag is located at . Area overview Purulia district forms the lowest step of the Cho ...

, Ramkanali.

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 in the Neturia CD block/

panchayat samiti Panchayat samiti is a rural local government (panchayat) body at the intermediate tehsil (taluka/mandal) level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. It has been said to be the "panchayat ...

are: Bhamuria, Digha, Guniara, Janardandi, Raibandh,

Saltore Saltore (also spelled Saltor) is a census town and a gram panchayat in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Saltore is locate ...

and

Sarbari Sarbari is a village in West Bengal, India. It is located within Neturia CD block of Raghunathpur subdivision of Purulia district. Geography Location Sarbari is located at . Area overview Purulia district forms the lowe ...

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 ...

, the Neturia CD block had a total population of 101,427, of which 83,137 were rural and 18,290 were urban. There were 52,310 (52%) males and 49,117 (48%) females. There were 13,661 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The

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 29,275 (28.86%) and the

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 22,616 (22.30%). According to the 2001 census, the Neturia CD block had a total population of 90,632, out of which 46,900 were males and 43,732 were females. The Neturia CD block registered a population growth of 10.24 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the Purulia district was 13.96 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.

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 ...

s in the Neturia CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets):

(5,094),

Hijuli Hijuli is a census town in the Neturia CD block in Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Hijuli is located at . Hijuli is not marked on Google maps. The location has been i ...

(7,917) and

Par Beliya Parbelia is a census town in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location As per the map of Neturia CD block on page 309 of ''District Census Handbook, ...

(5,279). Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in the Neturia CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets):

(5,007). Other villages in the Neturia CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Bhamaria (3,425),

Nituria Nituria (also spelled Neturia) is a village, with a police station, in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in West Bengal, India. Geography Location Nituria is located at . Area overview Puruli ...

(1,144),

Garh Panchkot Garh Panchkot is a ruined fort located in the eastern part of India at the foothills of Panchet Hill in the district of Purulia, West Bengal. The ruins of the Panchkot Palace are a silent testimony to the Bargi attack during the 18th century. ...

(1,415), Digha (2,300), Gunyara (1,179) and Janardandi (686).

Literacy

According to the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in the Neturia CD block was 57,174 (65.14% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 35,092 (77.38% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 22,082 (52.06%) 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 25.32%. See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

Language and religion

In the 2001 census,

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 ...

was the mother tongue for 76.6% of the population of the district, followed by Santali 11.4%, Kurmali Thar 7.7%,

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 ...

1.9%,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Khortha/ Khotta 0.3%,

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 ...

0.2%,

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 ...

0.1%, Mundari 0.1% and other languages 0.4%. 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. Along the western borders of the district the local Bengali dialect spoken in the area often merges with the

Magahi The Magahi language (), also known as Magadhi (), is a language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name derives. ...

dialects such as the

Kurmali Kurmali or Kudmali (ISO: Kuṛmāli) is an Indo-Aryan language classified as belonging to the Bihari group of languages spoken in eastern India. As a trade dialect, it is also known as Panchpargania (Bengali: পঞ্চপরগনিয়� ...

, Khotta and Khottahi or even Khotta Bangla. There is a tribal presence in many of the CD blocks of the district. Santali was spoken by around 14% of the population of the earlier Manbhum district. Some people also speak Mundari or

Kolarian Kolarian is a word first used by George Campbell. He described it as one of the three non-Aryan language families of India, which he made up, along with the Tibeto-Burman and the Dravidian. It is group of Munda languages of Austro-asiatic languages ...

languages such as

, Mundari and the languages of Bhumij and

Mahli The Mahli are a community in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th ...

communities. In the 2011 census Hindus numbered 86,614 and formed 85.40% of the population in Neturia CD Block. Muslims numbered 9,783 and formed 9.65% of the population. Christians numbered 148 and formed 0.15% of the population. Others numbered 4,882 and formed 4.80% of the population. Others include Addi Bassi, Marang Boro, Santal, Saranath, Sari Dharma, Sarna, Alchchi, Bidin, Sant, Saevdharm, Seran, Saran, Sarin, Kheria, and other religious communities.

Rural Poverty

According to the Rural Household Survey in 2005, 32.85% of total number of families were BPL families in Purulia district. According to a World Bank report, as of 2012, 31-38% of the population in Purulia, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur districts were below poverty level, the highest among the districts of West Bengal, which had an average 20% of the population below poverty line.

Economy

Livelihood

In the Neturia CD block in 2011, among the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 5,655 and formed 15.17%, agricultural labourers numbered 9,242 and formed 24.79%, household industry workers numbered 1,080 and formed 2.90% and other workers numbered 21,297 and formed 57.14%. Total workers numbered 37,274 and formed 36.75% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 64,153 and formed 63.25% of the population. 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 110 inhabited villages in the Neturia CD block, as per the ''District Census Handbook'', Puruliya, 2011, 100% villages have power supply. 107 villages (97.27%) have drinking water supply. 15 villages (13.64%) have post offices. 83 villages (75.45%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 32 villages (29.09%) have pucca (paved) approach roads and 38 villages (34.55%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 2 villages (1.82%) have agricultural credit societies and 4 villages (3.64%) have banks.

Coal mining

Parbelia Parbelia is a census town in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location As per the map of Neturia CD block on page 309 of ''District Census Handbook, P ...

and other collieries are under the

Sodepur Area Sodepur Area is one of the 14 operational areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited located mainly in Asansol subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district and partly of Raghunathpur subdivision in Purulia district, both in the state of West Bengal, Ind ...

(see details with map) of the Eastern Coalfields Ltd.

Industry

Industries in Neturia CD block are: Maithon Steel & Power at Bonra, Maa Chhinnamstika Steel & Power at Madandihi, Raghubeer Steel & Power Ltd. at Digha.

Agriculture

In 2013–14, persons engaged in agriculture in the Neturia 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 0.62%, patta (document) holders 14.46%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 6.34%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 42.04% and agricultural labourers 36.54%. In 2013–14, the total area irrigated in the Neturia CD block was 3,805.83 hectares, out of which 3,303.99 hectares by tank water, 13.64 hectares by river lift irrigation, 116.20 hectares by open dug wells and 372.00 hectares by other means. In 2013–14, Neturia CD block produced 3,218 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 1,771 hectares. It also produced wheat,

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...

and mustard.

Banking

In 2013–14, the Neturia CD block had offices of 6 commercial banks and 1 gramin bank.

Backward Regions Grant Fund

The Purulia district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the

Backward Regions Grant Fund Backward or Backwards is a relative direction. Backwards or Sdrawkcab (the word "backwards" with its letters reversed) may also refer to: * "Backwards" (''Red Dwarf''), episode of sci-fi TV sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' ** ''Backwards'' (novel), a nov ...

. The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 11 districts of West Bengal.

Transport

In 2013–14, the Neturia CD block had 2 ferry services and 4 originating/ terminating bus routes. State Highway 5 running from Rupnarayanpur (in the Bardhaman district) to Junput (in the Purba Medinipur district) passes through this block.

Education

In 2013–14, the Neturia CD block had 107 primary schools with 8,852 students, 19 middle schools with 1,146 students, 4 high schools with 1,305 students and 10 higher secondary schools with 9,118 students. Neturia CD Block had 1 general college with 1,627 students, 1 professional/ technical institute with 100 students and 221 institutions with 5,925 students for special and non-formal education. See also –

Education in India Education in India is primarily managed by state-run public education system, which fall under the command of the government at three levels: central, state and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution and the Right of Child ...

According to the 2011 census, in Neturia CD block, amongst the 110 inhabited villages, 17 villages did not have a school, 13 villages had two or more primary schools, 23 villages had at least 1 primary and 1 middle school and 10 villages had at least 1 middle and 1 secondary school.

Panchakot Mahavidyalaya Panchakot Mahavidyalaya, established in 2001, is the general degree college in the Purulia district. It offers undergraduate courses in arts, commerce and sciences. It is affiliated to Sidho Kanho Birsha University Sidho Kanho Birsha Unive ...

was established in 2001 at

Healthcare

In 2014, the Neturia CD block had 1 rural hospital and 3 primary health centres, with total 48 beds and 6 doctors. 5,366 patients were treated indoor and 168,817 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block. Harmadih Rural Hospital, with 30 beds at

Harmadih Harmadih (also spelled Harmadi) is a village in the Neturia CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Harmadih is located at . Area overview P ...

, is the major government medical facility in the Neturia CD block. There are primary health centres at Bartoria (with 2 beds) and Gunara (with 10 beds).

External links

References

{{Purulia topics Community development blocks in Purulia district