Pandabeswar 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

Durgapur subdivision Durgapur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Overview The rocky undulating topography with laterite soil found in the western part of the district extends to the w ...

Paschim Bardhaman district Paschim Bardhaman district is a predominantly urban mining-industrial district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Asansol. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after bifurcation of the erstwhile Bardhaman district as the 23rd district o ...

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

During World War II there was an American

airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

at Pandabeswar.

Geography

Pandabeswar is located at . Map of Paschim Bardhaman district

Pandabeswar CD Block is part of the Ajay Damodar Barakar tract. This area is sort of 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 ...

. It is a rocky undulating area with

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 ...

soil, with the Ajay on the north, the Damodar on the south and the Barakar on the west. For ages the area was heavily forested and infested with plunderers and marauders. The discovery of coal, in the eighteenth century, led to industrialisation of the area and most of the forests have been cleared. Pandabeswar CD Block is bounded by

Dubrajpur Dubrajpur is a city and a municipality in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Dubrajpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 77 metres (252 feet). Connectivi ...

CD Block, in Birbhum district, on the north,

Faridpur Durgapur Durgapur Faridpur is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Durgapur subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Faridpur is an old village. The area was earlier densely f ...

CD Block on the east,

Andal Andal ( ta, ஆண்டாள்), also known as Kothai, Nachiyar, and Godadevi, was the only female Alvar among the twelve Hindu poet-saints of South India. She was posthumously considered an avatar of the goddess Bhudevi. As with the Alv ...

CD Block on the south and

Jamuria Jamuria is a neighbourhood in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is governed by Asansol Municipal Corporation Geography Location Jamuria is located at . It has an average elevation of 111 metres ...

CD Block on the west. Pandabeswar CD Block has an area of 97.80 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 6

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, 112 gram sansads (village councils), 17

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 14 inhabited villages.

Pandabeswar Pandabeswar (also spelled Pandaveswar) is an administrative centre in Pandabeswar CD Block in Durgapur subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Police station Pandabeswar police station has juris ...

police station serve this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Pandabeswar.

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 Pandabeswar 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: Bahula, Baidyanathpur, Chhora, Haripur, Kendra and Nabagram.

Demographics

Population

As per 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 ...

Pandabeswar CD Block had a total population of 161,891, of which 26,720 were rural and 135,171 were urban. There were 84,651 (52%) males and 77,240 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 19,709.

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 49,189 (30.38%) 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 10,821 (6.68%). As per 2001 census, Pandabeswar block had a total population of 146,445, out of which 79,992 were males and 66,453 were females. Pandabeswar block registered a population growth of 9.37 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for Bardhaman district was 14.36 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.

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 ...

at 55,511 formed around one-third the population. Scheduled tribes numbered 14,508.

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 Pandabeswar CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Chak Bankola (part) (11,527), Parashkol (part) (10,367),

Kendra Khottamdi Kendra Khottamdi is a census town located partly in the Pandabeswar CD block of the Durgapur subdivision and partly in the Jamuria CD block of the Asansol Sadar subdivision in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geo ...

(part) (6,875),

Bilpahari Bilpahari is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Mahal, Baidyanathpur, Dalurband, Ramnagar, Bilpahari and Kendra ...

(8,565),

Ramnagar Ramnagar may refer to the following places: Bangladesh * Ramnagar, Bangladesh, a village in Chittagong Division * Ramnagar Union, Jessore Sadar India Jammu and Kashmir * Ramnagar, Udhampur, a town in Jammu and Kashmir ** Ramnagar Fort Udha ...

(5,446),

Dalurband Dalurband is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block of the Durgapur subdivision in the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Mahal, Baidyanathpur, Dalurband, Ramnagar, Bilpahari and Kendr ...

(15,107), Baidyanathpur (15,704), Mahal (4,841),

Konardihi Konardihi is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Konardihi is located at . Konardihi, Nabgram, Chak Bankola, Sank ...

(8,488),

Nabgram Nabgram is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Nabgram is located at . Konardihi, Nabgram, Chak Bankola, Sankarpu ...

(4,626), Sankarpur (6,399), Haripur (5,910),

Chhora Chhora is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Chhora is located at . Konardihi, Nabgram, Chak Bankola, Sankarpur, ...

(13,806) and

Bahula Bahula is a census town in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Bahula is located at . The Asansol-Durgapur region is composed of undul ...

(17,510). Chak Bankola and Parashkol are partly in Andal CD Block and partly in Pandabeswar CD Block. Kendra Khottamdi is partly in Jamuria CD Block and partly in Pandabeswar CD Block.

is shown as part of Baidyanathpur in the map of Pandabeswar CD Bloc

on page 243 of the District Census Handbook, Bardhaman, 2011. Villages in Pandabeswar CD Block are (2011census figures in brackets): Banbahal (3,540), Gobindapur (1,898), Konda (916), Deshlopa (1,178), Danya (3,854), Chak Karala (1,331), Joalbhanga (2,070), Bhatmura (594), Chak Jharia (1,497), Shyamsundarpur (2,801), Bhaluka (681), Sonpur Bazari, Sonpur (2,358), Bajari (1,583) and Kumarkhala (2,419).(All villages included in 2011 census data are mentioned here. Other villages or localities, if any, are parts of these villages.)

Literacy

As per the 2011 census the total number of literates in Pandabeswar CD Block was 103,801 (73.01% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 61,005 (81.82% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 42,796 (63.28% 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 18.54%. As per 2001 census, Pandabeswar block had a total literacy of 63.73 per cent for the 6+ age group. While male literacy was 73.56 per cent female literacy was 51.65 per cent. Bardhaman district had a total literacy of 70.18 per cent, male literacy being 78.63 per cent and female literacy being 60.95 per cent. See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

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 82.3% of the population of Bardhaman district in 1961 to 79.9% 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 8.5% in 1961 to 10.9% in 2001 Santali has remained steady at around 4.9% during the period, and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Asansol (Lok Sabha constituency) Asansol Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Asansol in West Bengal. All the seven assembly segments of No. 40 Asansol Lok Sabha constituency are in Paschim Bardhaman distri ...

. Bardhaman district provided attractive livelihood opportunities for immigrants from Bihar/ Jharkhand. 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 2019, there is no official / other reliable information about the areas covered. In the 2011 census Hindus numbered 139,805 and formed 86.36% of the population in Pandabeswar CD Block. Muslims numbered 20,377 and formed 12.59% of the population. Christians numbered 232 and formed 0.14% of the population. Others numbered 1,477 and formed 0.91% of the population.

Rural poverty

As per poverty estimates obtained from household survey for families 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 2005,

rural poverty Rural poverty refers to poverty in rural areas, including factors of rural society, rural economy, and political systems that give rise to the poverty found there.Janvry, A. de, E. Sadoulet, and R. Murgai. 2002“Rural Development and Rural Pol ...

in Pandabeswar CD Block was 20.59%.

Economy

Livelihood

In Pandabeswar CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 1,401 and formed 2.81% of the total workers, agricultural labourers numbered 3,747 and formed 7.52%, household industry workers numbered 1,650 and formed 3.31% and other workers numbered 43,052 and formed 86.36%. Total workers numbered 49,850 and formed 30.79% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 112,041 and formed 69.21% of the population. Coalmines are spread across the Andal, Pandaveswar, Raniganj, Jamuria, Barabani and Salanpur region, including municipal areas. Livelihood in this region is coal-centred. The area does not produce much of agricultural products. Overall work participation rate, and female work participation rate, in the mining area are low. Interestingly the work participation rate in the predominantly agricultural rural areas of erstwhile Bardhaman district is higher than in the predominantly urbanised mining area. Human development in the mining area does not at all look good. However, in the composite livelihood index the mining area performs much better than the non-mining areas of erstwhile Bardhaman district. The decadal (1991-2001) change in composition of workers shows the growing pressure of population growth, as well as of migrants from adjacent Jharkhand. 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

All 17 or 100% of mouzas in Pandabeswar CD Block were electrified by 31 March 2014. All 17 mouzas in Pandabeswar CD Block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 61 fair price shops in the CD Block.

Coal mining

Sonpur Bazari Sonpur and Bazari are two villages that have lent their name to the Sonpur-Bazari open cast coal mines project in the Pandabeswar CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geograp ...

Open Cast Project of

Eastern Coalfields Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) is a coal producer based in India. The company was founded in 1975 after nationalisation of coal mines in India. It operates coal mines in Jharkhand and West Bengal states of India. It inherited all the priv ...

was approved in 1995. The targeted output in 2016-17 was 8 million tonnes. Mineable reserve as on 1/4/2015 was 179.60 million tonnes. Balance life of the project as on 1/4/2012 was 23 years. Madhaipur open cast project in Pandabeshwar Area of

has a mineable reserve of 13.15 million tonnes. Amongst the mines of

selected for introduction of mass production technology with the installation of the continuous miner are: Kumardihi (1.02 million tonnes per year) and Khottamdi (1.0 mty). See also –

Pandaveswar Area Pandaveswar Area is one of the 14 operational areas of the Eastern Coalfields Limited located mostly in the Durgapur subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district with a spread over to the Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district, across the Aja ...

, Bankola Area,

Kenda Area Kenda Area is one of the 14 operational areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited located mostly in Durgapur subdivision and partly in Asansol subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location The Ken ...

, all of

and

Jhanjra Jhanjra is a village in the Faridpur Durgapur CD block in the Durgapur subdivision of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location The Jhanjra coal block is located on the north-eastern side of Ranig ...

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 Pandabeswar CD Block could be classified as follows:

s 3.65%, patta (document) holders 24.82%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 5.72%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 37.32% and agricultural labourers 28.49%. In 2003-04 net cropped area in Pandabeswar CD Block was 3,156 hectares. In 2013-14, Pandabeswar CD Block produced 6,253 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 2,005 hectares and 28 tonnes of wheat from 10 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds.

Banking

In 2013-14, Pandabeswar CD Block had offices of 9 commercial banks.

Transport

Pandabeswar CD Block has 3 originating/ terminating bus routes. The Andal-Sainthia branch line passes through this CD Block and the main station is Pandabeswar railway station. Railway Station in Sainthia Andal line 04

Railway Station in Sainthia Andal line 04

NH 14 National Highway 162 (NH 162) is a National Highway in India. It is a spur road of National Highway 62. NH-162 traverses the state of Rajasthan in India. NH162 route was extended from Pali to Bhatewar. Route Bar,Sojat City, Pali, Marwad, ...

(old number NH 60) pass through this CD Block.

Education

In 2013-14, Pandabeswar CD Block had 44 primary schools with 6,666 students, 7 middle schools with 737 students, 2 high school with 812 students and 5 higher secondary schools with 9,009 students. Pandabeswar CD Block had 1 general college with 1,007 students, 257 institutions for special and non-formal education with 9,690 students

Pandaveswar College Pandaveswar Colloge, established in 2005, is the general degree college in Pandaveswar, Paschim Bardhaman district in India. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol. Departments Humaniti ...

was established at

in 2005. It is affiliated with Kazi Nazrul University.

Healthcare

In 2014, Pandabeswar CD Block had 1 primary health centre and 1 private nursing home with total 6 beds and 1 doctor (excluding private bodies). 6 patients were treated indoor and 141,410 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block. Pandabeswar Block Primary Health Centre, Pandabeswar CD block, with 10 beds, at

, is the major government medical facility in the Pandaveswar CD block. The 750-bed Mandabani Hospital of

is located at Panthnagar.

External links

District map showing blocks

References

{{Municipalities of West Bengal Community development blocks in Paschim Bardhaman district Mining communities in West Bengal