| Dakshin Dinajpur district | |
| Settlement Type: | District |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Mapsize: | 300 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Bengal |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Malda |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Balurghat |
| Parts Type: | Tehsils |
| Parts Style: | para |
| Area Total Km2: | 2219 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 1,676,276 |
| Population Urban: | 236,295 |
| Population Density Km2: | 916/ sq.km |
| Demographics Type1: | Demographics |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Literacy |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 82.36% (2021) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Sex ratio |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 950 |
| Leader Title1: | Lok Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name1: | Balurghat |
| Leader Title2: | Vidhan Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name2: | Kushmandi, Kumarganj, Balurghat, Tapan, Gangarampur, Harirampur |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Major highways |
| Blank Info Sec1: | NH 512 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Economy(2021) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 2% of GSDPNominal GSDP per capita = $ 1130 (₹ 81,700) PPP = $ 1530 (₹ 113,220) |
Dakshin Dinajpur (in Bengali pronounced as /dokkʰiɳ dinadʒpur/), also known as South Dinajpur, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. It was created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur District.The Headquarter (sadar) of the district is at Balurghat. It comprises two subdivisions: Balurghat and Gangarampur. According to the 2011 census, it is the third least populous district of West Bengal (out of 23).[1]
The erstwhile Dinajpur District, at the time of the partition of India, was split up into West Dinajpur district and East Dinajpur. The East Dinajpur district, now called Dinajpur, became part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The West Dinajpur district was enlarged in 1956, when States Reorganisation Act recommendations were implemented, with the addition of some areas of Bihar. The district was bifurcated into Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur on 1 April 1992.[2] [3]
Dakshin Dinajpur is predominantly an agricultural district with a large area of land under cultivation. The district is drained by north-south flowing rivers like Atreyee, Purnabhaba, Tangon and Jamuna River, to give rise to a sizeable, unorganised fishing community.
Dakshin Dinajpur is a "non-large scale industry" but there are a number of medium and small hand loom industries especially Gangarampur block. Internet access is available from most of the cities, even broadband connections are available. There is one State Highway with only 77 km of National Highway No. 512 in the district. A new railway line has been laid between Eklakhi and Balurghat, the district headquarters. Train services were started on 30 December 2004.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Dakshin Dinajpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[4]
The district comprises two subdivisions: Balurghat and Gangarampur at Buniadpur. Balurghat subdivision consists of Balurghat municipality and four community development blocks: Hili, Balurghat, Kumarganj and Tapan. Gangarampur subdivision consists of Gangarampur, Buniadpur municipalities and four community development blocks: Gangarampur, Bansihari, Harirampur and Kushmandi.[5] Balurghat is the district headquarters. There are nine police stations, eight development blocks, Three municipalities, 64 gram panchayats and 2317 villages in this district.[6]
Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocs which are divided into rural areas and census towns.[7]
Balurghat subdivision
Gangarampur subdivision at Buniadpur
As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district was divided into six assembly constituencies:[8]
| S No. | Name | Lok Sabha constituency | MLA | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Kushmandi (SC) | Balurghat | Rekha Roy | ||
| 38 | Kumarganj | Toraf Hossain Mandal | |||
| 39 | Balurghat | Ashok Lahiri | |||
| 40 | Tapan (ST) | Budhrai Tudu | |||
| 41 | Gangarampur (SC) | Satyendra Nath Ray | |||
| 42 | Harirampur | Biplab Mitra | |||
Tapan constituency is reserved for ST candidates. Kushmandi and Gangarampur constituencies are reserved for SC candidates. Along with Itahar assembly constituency from Uttar Dinajpur district, the six assembly constituencies of this district form the Balurghat (Lok Sabha constituency).
See also: List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate. According to the 2011 census Dakshin Dinajpur district has a population of 1,676,276. roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau.[9] or the US state of Idaho.[10] This gives it a ranking of 295th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 753PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.16%. Dakshin Dinajpur has a sex ratio of 954 females for every 1000 males and a literacy rate of 73.86%. 14.10% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 28.80% and 16.43% of the population respectively.
| 136,873 | 38.61% | 412,788 | 24.63% | ||
| 135,299 | 38.16% | 1,232,850 | 73.55% | ||
| Tribal religion | 82,105 | 23.16% | 2,786 | 0.17% | |
| 146 | 0.04% | 24,794 | 1.48% | ||
| Others | 105 | 0.03% | 3,058 | 0.17% | |
| Total Population | 354,528 | 100% | 1,676,276 | 100% |
Bengali is the principal language of the district. The main Bengali dialect of this region is variously known as Varendri Bengali or Dinajpuri Bengali.
According to the 2011 census, 84.41% of the population spoke Bengali, 9.68% Santali, 1.31% Kurukh, 1.25% Sadri and 1.05% Hindi as their first language.[13]
Dakshin Dinajpur University has started functioning from 2021. It is located at Mahinagar, Balurghat. There is a government nursing college at Balurghat. There is one JNV present.There is one D.A.V group school (Atreyee DAV Public School) and a Techno Group school at Balurghat.There are a few good schools in Balurghat and Gangarampur. There are four CBSE affiliated and one CISCE affiliated school in Balurghat. Of late, The Green View English Academy is the only CISCE affiliated school in the entire district. The Atreyee D.A.V Public School has earned several accolades, giving the entire district an honorable position in the academic map of the country. VVM Junior Level National Champion (2018–19), Saswata Bose, is a student of The ADAVPS. Many government schools exist throughout the district.
| Institution Type | Institution Name | Institution Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balurghat | |||
| Majhian | |||
| General College | Balurghat | ||
| Balurghat Mahila Mahavidyalaya | Balurghat | ||
| Buniadpur | |||
| Harirampur, West Bengal | |||
| Gangarampur | |||
| Gangarampur | |||
| Jamini Majumdar Memorial College | Patiram | ||
| Kumarganj College | Kumarganj | ||
| Kushmandi Government College | Kushmandi | ||
| Nathaniyal Murmu Memorial College | Tapan, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| S.B.S. Government College, Hili | Hili, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| Jamini Majumdar Memorial College | Patiram | ||
| Dakshin Dinajpur B.Ed College | Fulbari | ||
| Balurghat B.Ed.College | Balurghat | ||
| Vidyasagar College Of Education | Gangarampur | ||
| Dakshin Dinajpur D.Ed College | Tapan, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| Tebhaga Teachers Training College | Margram | ||
| Bahadurpur B.Ed College | Dhkshin Bahadurpur | ||
| Bangarh Scholar Teacher's Training Institute | Bolla | ||
| Atryee College Of Education | Dangi | ||
| Buniadpur Teachers' Training College | Buniadpur | ||
| Polytechnic College | Gangarampur | ||
| Hilli Government Polytechnic | Hili, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| Banshihari Government ITI | Bansihari (community development block) | ||
| Balurghat Government ITI | Balurghat | ||
| Harirampur Government ITI | Harirampur, West Bengal | ||
| Hili Government ITI | Hili, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| Kumarganj Government ITI | Kumarganj | ||
| Tafijuddin Ahamed Memorial,Kushmandi Government ITI | Kushmandi | ||
| Tapan Government ITI | Tapan, Dakshin Dinajpur | ||
| Balurghat | |||
| Nursing College | Nursing Training School Dakshin Dinajpur | Balurghat |
Narayan Biswas - minister of government of West Bengal