Maheshpur is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Pakur subdivision of the Pakur district, Jharkhand state, India.
History
The area was earlier part of Maheshpur Raj.
Geography
Maheshpur, the eponymous CD block headquarters, is located at .
It is located 28 km from Pakur, the district headquarters.
A predominantly hilly area, Pakur district has pockets of plain land. A long but narrow stretch between the Farakka Feeder Canal, located outside the district, and the Sahibganj loop line is very fertile. The Littipara and Amrapara CD blocks are largely covered by the Rajmahal hills. The rest of the district is rolling uplands. The district, once famous for its forests, have lost all of it, except a few hill tops in the Damin-i-koh area.
Maheshpur CD block is bounded by Hiranpur and Pakur CD blocks on the north, Murarai I and Nalhati I CD blocks in Birbhum district of West Bengal on the east, Pakuria CD block on the south, and Gopikandar CD block in Dumka district and Amrapara CD block on the west.
Maheshpur CD block has an area of 450.99 km2.Maheshpur police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Maheshpur town.
Demographics
Population
According to the 2011 Census of India, Maheshpur CD block had a total population of 208,862, all of which were rural . There were 104,984 (50%) males and 103,878 (50%) females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 37,798. Scheduled Castes numbered 6,074 (2.91%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 102,467 (49.06%).
In 2011 census Maheshpur (village) had a population of 5,797.
Literacy
census, the total number of literate persons in Maheshpur CD block was 89,537 (52.34% of the population over 6 years) out of which 52,616 (59%) were males and 36,931 (41%) were females. The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 18%.
See also – List of Jharkhand districts ranked by literacy rate
Language and religion
According to the District Census Handbook, Pakur, 2011 census, as of 2011, Santali was the mother-tongue of 286,300 persons forming 31.80% of the population of Pakur district, followed by Bengali 252,070 persons (27.99%) and Hindi 101,440 persons (11.27%). Speakers of other scheduled languages were almost non-existent.
Hindi is the official language in Jharkhand and Urdu has been declared as an additional official language.
In 2001 census, Hindus constituted 55.48%, Muslims 25.87% and Christians 5.19% of the population in Maheshpur CD block. In the district as a whole, Hindus constituted 44.45%, Muslims 32.74% and Christians 6.01% of the population. The percentage of scheduled tribes in the population of Maheshpur CD block was 49.80%. In the district as a whole, scheduled tribes constituted 44.59% of the population. Around 85% of the tribal population was composed of Santhals. There are two primitive groups – Mal Paharias and Sauria Paharias.
At the time of the 2011 census, 45.60% of the population spoke Santali, 36.68% Bengali, 11.88% Khortha, 1.97% Malto, 1.78% Bhojpuri and 0.96% Koda as their first language.
Rural poverty
50-60% of the population of Pakur district were in the BPL category in 2004–2005, being in the same category as Sahebganj, Deoghar and Garhwa 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 Maheshpur CD block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 33,047 and formed 33.58%, agricultural labourers numbered 43,522 and formed 48.64%, household industry workers numbered 1,533 and formed 1.71% and other workers numbered 14,380 and formed 57.16%. Total workers numbered 89,482 and formed 42.84% of the total population. Non-workers numbered 119,380 and formed 57.16% of total 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 and entertainment artistes.