Raniganj (community development block)
Raniganj is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Asansol subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography. Searsole Rajbari is located at . Raniganj CD Block is part of the Ajay Damodar Barakar tract. This area is sort of an extension of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. It is a rocky undulating area with laterite 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. Raniganj CD Block is bounded by Asansol (municipal corporation)/ Raniganj and Jamuria CD Block on the north, Andal CD Block on the east, Mejia CD Block, in Bankura district, on the south and Asansol (municipal corporation)/ Barabani CD Block on the west. Raniganj CD Block has an area of 58.28 km. It has 1 panchayat samity, 6 gram panchayats, 74 gram sansads (village councils), 12 mouzas and 12 inhabited villages. Asansol North and Raniganj police stations serve this block. Headquarters of  this CD Block is at Raniganj. Nunia, a small stream about 40 km long has its origin near Adra village in the Salanpur area, flows through the Barabani area, past Asansol and joins the Damodar in the Raniganj area. Gram panchayats of Raniganj block/panchayat samiti are: Amrasota, Ballavpur, Egara, Jemari, Ratibati and Tirat. Demographics. Population. As per the 2011 Census of India Raniganj CD Block had a total population of 106,441, of which 23,023 were rural and 83,418 were urban. There were 55,835 (52%) males and 50,606 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 12,885. Scheduled Castes numbered 37,491  (35.22%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 9,982 (9.38%). As per 2001 census, Raniganj block had a total population of 101,678, out of which 55,160 were males and 46,518 were females. Raniganj block registered a population growth of -20.45 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 at 33,515 formed around one-third the population. Scheduled tribes numbered 9,761. Census Towns in Raniganj CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Ratibati (4,508), Chapui (5,358), Jemari (J.K. Nagar Township) (13,179), Banshra (5,703), Belebathan  (4,459), Chelad (7,471), Murgathaul (7,371), Amkula (5,445), Baktarnagar (5,112), Egara (7,623), Sahebganj (4,715), Raghunathchak (6,006) and Ballavpur (6,468). Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Raniganj CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Tirat (4,224). Other villages in Raniganj CD Block are (2011census figures in brackets): Saora (2,191), Kumardiha (2,142), Chalbalpur (3,567), Harabhanga (1,907), Damalia (1,118), Narankuri (2,176), Nimcha (2,065), Chak Janadhara (343), Sonachora (11), Chak Brindabanpur (818) and Napur (2,461).(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 Raniganj CD Block was 69,098 (73.86% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 40,733 (82.90% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 28,365 (63.86% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 19.04%. As per 2001 census, Raniganj block had a total literacy of 65.85 per cent for the 6+ age group. While male literacy was 76.59 per cent female literacy was 52.97 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 has decreased its share from 82.3% of the population of Bardhaman district in 1961 to 79.9% in 2001, Hindi 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 has increased its share from 2.4% in  1961 to 2.6% in 2001. Other mother-tongues spoken in 2001 were: Odiya (0.3%), Punjabi (0.2%), Koda/Kora (0.2%), Telugu (0.1%), Bhojpuri (0.1%), Nepali (0.1%) and Kurukh/ Oraon (0.1%). As of 2017, CD Block-wise/ other region-wise break-up of mother tongue is not available in census/ other official sources. There have been reports in the media about the Hindi speaking population being substantial in the Asansol (Lok Sabha constituency). 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 96,719 and formed 90.87% of the population in Raniganj CD Block. Muslims numbered 6,837 and formed 6.42% of the population . Christians numbered 441 and formed 0.41% of the population. Others numbered 2,444 and formed 2.30% of the population. Rural poverty. As per poverty estimates obtained from household survey for families living below poverty line in 2005, rural poverty in Raniganj CD Block was 13.66%. Economy. Livelihood. In Raniganj CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 584 and formed 1.69% of the total workers, agricultural labourers numbered 1,386 and formed 4.15%, household industry workers numbered 655 and formed 1.96% and other workers numbered 30,756 and formed 92.19%. Total workers numbered 33,361 and formed 31.34% of the  total population, and non-workers numbered 73,080 and formed 68.66% 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. Infrastructure. All 12 or 100% of mouzas in Raniganj CD Block were electrified by 31 March 2014. All 12 mouzas in Raniganj CD Block had drinking water facilities in 2013-14. There were 5 fertiliser depots, 3 seed stores and 38 fair price shops in the CD Block. Coal mining. Nimcha open cast project in Satgram Area of Eastern  Coalfields has a mineable reserve of 8.70 million tonnes. Damalia open cast project in Satgram Area of Eastern Coalfields has a mineable reserve of 0.44 million tonnes. The coal-bed methane gas block of Essar Group, the largest CBM player in India, in Raniganj is close to commercial production. See also – Satgram Area and Kunustoria Area of Eastern Coalfields Industries. Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) has developed the Managalpur Industrial Estate. Agriculture. Although the Bargadari Act of 1950 recognised the rights of bargadars 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 ownership pattern has undergone transformation. In 2013-14, persons engaged in agriculture in Raniganj CD Block could be classified as follows: bargadars 15.92%, patta (document) holders 35.80%, small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 2.06%, marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 26.67% and agricultural labourers 19.55%. In 2003-04 net cropped area in Raniganj  CD Block was 2,434 hectares and the area in which more than one crop was grown was 770 hectares. In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block produced 4,016 tonnes of Aman paddy, the main winter crop, from 1,475 hectares. It also produced pulses and oilseeds. Banking. In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block had offices of 12 commercial banks and 2 gramin banks. Transport. Narayankuri ghat, on the Damodar, was used by M/s Carr Tagore & Company for transporting coal to Kolkata by boat in the middle of the nineteenth century. Varying levels of water in the Damodar posed problems for transportation . In order to capture the lucrative coal transport business, East Indian Railway laid lines up to Raniganj in 1855. It captured the entire coal transport business. The line was extended to Asansol in 1863. The Bardhaman-Asansol section, which is a part of Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line, Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line and Howrah-Delhi main line, passes through this CD Block and there is a station at Raniganj. Raniganj CD Block has 12 originating/ terminating bus routes. NH 19 (old number NH 2) and NH 14 (old number NH 60) cross at Raniganj. Education. In 2013-14, Raniganj CD Block  had 46 primary schools with 5,807 students, 7 middle schools with 732 students, 1 high school with 688 students and 5 higher secondary schools with 6,042 students. Raniganj CD Block had 181 institutions for special and non-formal education with 5,723 students. Raniganj (then a municipal town, outside the CD Block) had 2 general colleges with 6,235 students. Healthcare. In 2014, Raniganj CD block had 1 rural hospital, 1 block primary health centre, 2 primary health centres, 1 central government/ PSU medical centre and 4 private nursing homes with total 107 beds and 8 doctors (excluding private bodies). It had  20 family welfare sub centres. 5,522 patients were treated indoor and 191,301 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block. Ballavpur Rural Hospital, with 50 beds at Ballavpur, is the major government medical facility in the Raniganj CD block. Raniganj Block Primary Health centre at Raniganj functions with 25 beds. There are primary health centres at Baktarnagar (with 6 beds) and Tirat (with 6 beds). ECL Banshra Hospital at Banshra functions with 50 beds. Politics. Raniganj (West Bengal Vidhan Sabha constituency) is the assembly constituency.