Gawan block is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Khuri Mahua subdivision of the Giridih district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

Overview

Giridih is a plateau region. The western portion of the district is part of a larger central plateau. The rest of the district is a lower plateau, a flat table land with an elevation of about 1,300 feet. At the edges, the ghats drop to about 700 feet. The Pareshnath Hill or Shikharji rises to a height of 4,480 feet in the south-eastern part of the district. The district is thickly forested. Amongst the natural resources, it has coal and mica. Inaugurating the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in 2016, Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, had indicated that there were 23 lakh BPL families in Jharkhand. There was a plan to bring the BPL proportion in the total population down to 35%.

Gawan block

Maoist activities

Jharkhand is one of the states affected by Maoist activities. , Giridih was one of the 14 highly affected districts in the state., Giridih was identified as one of the 13 focus areas by the state police to check Maoist activities. In 2017, the Moists, in Giridih district, have torched more than 50 vehicles engaged in road construction or carrying goods.

Gawan block

Geography

Gawan is located at .

Gawan block

Gawan CD block is bounded by Kawakole CD block, in Nawada district of Bihar, on the north, Tisri CD block on the east, Dhanwar CD block on the south and Satgawan CD block, in Koderma district, on the west.

Gawan CD block has an area of 336.76 km2. It has 17 gram panchayats, and 137 inhabited villages. Gawan police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Gawan. 48.59% of the area has forest cover.

Rivers in Gawan CD block are: Sankh, Barki, Chakli, Sakri and Likhar.

Gram panchayats in Gawan CD block are: Pasnour, Manjhne, Birne, Amtaro, Gawan, Serua, Sankh, Patna, Badidih, Malda, Nagwan, Gadar, Kharsan, Pihara (E), Pihara (W), Nimadih and Jamdar.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2011 Census of India, Gawan CD block had a total population of 115,962, all of which were rural. There were 59,039 (51%) males and 56,923 (49%) females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 22,682. Scheduled Castes numbered 18,913 (16.31%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 5,295 (4.57%).

Literacy

census the total number of literate persons in Gawan CD block was 56,848 (60.94% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 35,581 (75.10% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 21,267 (46.33% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 28.77%.

census, literacy in Giridih district was 63.14% Literacy in Jharkhand was 66.41% in 2011. Literacy in India in 2011 was 74.04%.

See also – List of Jharkhand districts ranked by literacy rate

Language and religion

Khortha is the main spoken language. Hindi is the official language. Urdu and Santali are also spoken.

Rural poverty

40-50% of the population of Giridih district were in the BPL category in 2004–2005, being in the same category as Godda, Koderma and Hazaribagh districts. Rural poverty in Jharkhand declined from 66% in 1993–94 to 46% in 2004–05. In 2011, it has come down to 39.1%.

Economy

Livelihood

In Gawan CD block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 18,748 and formed 39.23%, agricultural labourers numbered 16,806 and formed 35.17%, household industry workers numbered 1,342 and formed 2.81% and other workers numbered 10,890 and formed 22.79%. Total workers numbered 47,786 and formed 41.21% of the total population, and non-workers numbered 68,186 and formed 58.79% 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. 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.