Pandua is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Overview
Pandua CD Block is part of the Hooghly-Damodar Plain, one of the three natural regions in the district of the flat alluvial plains that forms part of the Gangetic Delta. The region has many depressions which receive water from the surrounding lands during the rainy season and discharge the water through small channels.
Geography
Pandua is located at .
Pandua CD Block is bounded by Kalna II CD Block, in Bardhaman district, in the north, Balagarh and Chinsurah Mogra CD Blocks the east, Polba Dadpur CD Block in the south and Dhaniakhali and Memari I CD Block, the latter in Bardhaman district, in the west.
It is located 27 km from Chinsurah, the district headquarters.
The Pandua CD Block has an area of 276.43 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 16 gram panchayats, 247 gram sansads (village councils), 157 mouzas and 163 inhabited villages. Pandua police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Pandua.
Gram panchayats of Pandua block/ panchayat samiti are: Batika-Boinchee, Belun-Damasin, Berala-Konchmali, Haral-Daspur, Ilosova-Daspur, Itachuna-Khanyan, Jamgram-Mondalal, Jamna, Jayar-Dwarbasini, Khirkundi-Namajgram-Niala, Panchghora-Toregram, Pandua, Rameswarpur-Gopalnagar, Sarai-Tinna, Sikhara-Champta and Simlagarh-Vitasin.
Demographics
Population
As per 2011 Census of India Pandua CD Block had a total population of 316,197, of which 265,863 were rural and 50,334 were urban. There were 159,323 (50%) males and 156,874 (50%) females. Population below 6 years was 31,838. Scheduled Castes numbered 101,302 (32.04%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 48,555 (15.36%).
As per 2001 census, Pandua block had a total population of 283,004, out of which 142,487 were males and 140,517 were females. Pandua block registered a population growth of 16.12 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for Hooghly district was 15.72 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.
Census Towns in Pandua CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Batika (8,717), Pandua (30,700), Purusattompur (3,665) and Namajgram (7,252).
Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Pandua CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Berela (6,712), Bainchi (13,063), Sarai (4,043), Tinna (6,131), Champahati (6,128), Pontba (4,237), Haral (4,521), Rameswarpur (4,821), Dwarbasini (5,256), Khanyan (9,575) and Ilchobi (4,136).
Other villages in Pandua CD Block include (2011 census figures in brackets): Daspur (2,088), Belun (3,257), Itachuna (1,451), Gopalnagar (2,807), Jamgram (2,753), Torgram (2,467) and Panchgara (1,919).
Literacy
As per the 2011 census the total number of literates in Pandua CD Block was 215,701 (75.86% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 117,603 (82.22% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 98,098 (69.41% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 12.81%. As per the 2001 census, Pandua block had a total literacy of 47.34 per cent. While male literacy was 66.05 per cent, female literacy was 58.35 per cent.
See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate
Language and religion
As per the 2011 census, majority of the population of the district belong to the Hindu community with a population share of 82.9% followed by Muslims at 15.8%. The percentage of the Hindu population of the district has followed a decreasing trend from 87.1% in 1961 to 82.9% in the latest census 2011. On the other hand, the percentage of Muslim population has increased from 12.7% in 1961 to 15.8% in 2011 census.
In 2011 census Hindus numbered 216,134 and formed 68.48% of the population in Pandua CD Block. Muslims numbered 76,357 and formed 24.15% of the population. Others numbered 23,006 and formed 7.27% of the population.
At the time of the 2011 census, 84.06% of the population spoke Bengali, 11.45% Santali and 3.26% Hindi as their first language.
Rural poverty
As per poverty estimates obtained from household survey for families living below poverty line in 2005, rural poverty in Pandua CD Block was 34.30%.
Economy
Livelihood
In Pandua CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators formed 11.82%, agricultural labourers 51.33%, household industry workers 3.80% and other workers 33.05%.