Raninagar I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Domkol subdivision of Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Islampur is located at
Raninagar I CD block lies in the Raninagar plain at the north-eastern corner of the Bagri region in Murshidabad district. The Bhagirathi River splits the district into two natural physiographic regions – Rarh on the west and Bagri on the east. The Padma River separates Murshidabad district from Malda district and Chapai Nawabganj and Rajshahi districts of Bangladesh in the north. The Raninagar plain lies between the Jalangi and Bhairab rivers. It is a low-lying area and is characterized by the nature of inundation along with many swamps
Raninagar I CD block is bounded by Raninagar II and Bhagawangola II CD blocks in the north, Jalangi CD block in the east, Domkal and Hariharpara CD blocks in the south and Murshidabad-Jiaganj CD block in the west.
The Bagri or the eastern part of the district is a low lying alluvial plain with the shape of an isosceles triangle. The Ganges/Padma and the Bhagirathi form the two equal sides; the Jalangi forms the entire base; other offshoots of the Ganges meander within the area. It is liable to be flooded by the spill of the Bhagirathi and other rivers. The main rivers of this region are Bhairab, Jalangi, Chhoto Bhairab, Sialmari and Gobra Nala. All these rivers are distributaries of the main branch of the Ganges. The rivers are in their decaying stages.
A major problem in Murshidabad district is river bank erosion. As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone. Between 1931 and 1977, 26,769 hectares have been eroded and many villages have been fully submerged.
See also - River bank erosion along the Ganges in Malda and Murshidabad districts
Raninagar I CD block has an area of 146.93 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 6 gram panchayats, 125 gram sansads (village councils), 64 mouzas and 57 inhabited villages. Islampur police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Kasbagoas.
Gram panchayats of Raninagar I block/ panchayat samiti are: Herampur, Hurshi, Islampur Chak, Lochanpur, Paharpur, and Tenkaraipur Balumati.
Demographics
Population
According to the 2011 Census of India, Raninagar I CD block had a total population of 189,105, of which 164,675 were rural and 24,430 were urban. There were 96,248 (51%) males and 92,857 (49%) females. The population in the age range 0-6 years numbered 26,532. Scheduled Castes numbered 14,293 (7.56%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 489 (0.26).
As per 2001 census, Raninagar I block has a total population of 154,559, out of which 79,565 were males and 74,994 were females. Raninagar I block registered a population growth of 22.22 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the district was 23.70 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.
Decadal Population Growth Rate (%)
Sources:
The decadal growth of population in Raninagar I CD block in 2001-2011 was 22.31%.
The decadal growth rate of population in Murshidabad district was as follows: 33.5% in 1951-61, 28.6% in 1961-71, 25.5% in 1971-81, 28.2% in 1981-91, 23.8% in 1991-2001 and 21.1% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%.
The decadal growth rate of population in Rajshahi District, across the Ganges, in Bangladesh, was 13.48% for the decade 2001-2011, down from 21.19% in the decade 1991-2001.
There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators entering Murshidabad district.
Census towns and villages
There were two census towns in Raninagar I CD block (2011 population in brackets): Islampur (15,019) and Harharia Chak (9,411).
Large villages in Raninagar I CD block were (2011 population figures in brackets): Molladanga (5,463), Daulatpur (5,931), Hursi (4,315), Purushattompur (6,880), Durgapur (4,101), Pratappur (6,702), Lochanpur (8,067), Moktarpur (9,739), Kamalpur (7,692), Bishnupur (8,320), Tekaraipur (9,232), Dighir Pahar (5,202), Kasbagoas (5,766), Herampur (8,125), Goas Kalikapur (8,384) and Nalbatta (4,868).
Literacy
As per the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in Raninagar I CD block was 109,327 (67.25% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 56,733 (68.42% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 52,594 (66.03% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 2.39%.