District Profile
Demographic Features
As per 2011 census total population of the district is 2930115, out of which 87.26 % are residing in rural areas and 12.74% are in urban areas. About 51.09 % of the populations are males and 48.91% are female. The percentage of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes are 19.38% and 18.45%.
Total numbers households in SECC Census 2011 is 536972. Total Households considered for deprivation is 437234.
Total number of village is 2667 and inhabited village is 2459. Number of Census Town 25 and Statutory Town 3.
Numbers of Deprived Households with deprivation criteria
- Female headed households with no adult male member between age 16 to 59 is 20753.
- No.of Deprived Households with deprivation criteria SC/ST households is 191671.
- No.of Deprived Households with deprivation criteria Landless households deriving major part of their income from manual casual labour is 149983.
| Population Category | 2001 Census | % | 2011 Census | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 2536516 | — | 2930115 | — |
| Male Population | 1298078 | 51.18 | 1496996 | 51.09 |
| Female Population | 1238438 | 48.82 | 1433119 | 48.91 |
| Rural Population | 2281090 | 89.93 | 2556801 | 87.26 |
| Urban Population | 255426 | 10.07 | 373314 | 12.74 |
| Scheduled Caste | 463956 | 18.29 | 567767 | 19.38 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 463452 | 18.27 | 540652 | 18.45 |
| Literacy | 1182284 | 55.57 | 1624905 | 64.48 |
| Sex Ratio | 954 | — | 957 | — |
| Population Density (per sq. km.) | 405 | — | 468 | — |
| Decadal Growth Rate | 14.02 (19991-2001) |
— | 15.52 (2001-2011) |
— |
Occupation Distribution
Main working class has been decreased from 25.43 % in 2001 census to 20.93 % in 2011 census whereas Marginal working class has been increased from 19.03 % in 2001 to 21.71 % in 2011 census. Cultivators have been shifted to other working classes.
| Occupation Category | 2001 Census | % | 2011 Census | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Main Worker | 644748 | 25.43 | 613398 | 20.93 |
| A. Cultivators | 352104 | 31.24 | 268800 | 21.51 |
| B. Agri. Labours | 406835 | 36.09 | 492205 | 39.39 |
| C. H.H. Industry | 83633 | 7.42 | 87560 | 7.01 |
| D. Other Workers | 284584 | 25.25 | 401077 | 32.10 |
| 2. Marginal Workers | 482408 | 19.03 | 636244 | 21.71 |
| 3. Non Workers | 1408077 | 55.54 | 1680473 | 57.35 |
Agriculture
Cultivation of this district is predominantly mono-cropped. About 60 % of the total cultivated land is upland. Out of the total agricultural holding about 73 % belongs to small and marginal farmers having scattered and fragmented smallholding. Paddy is the primary crop of the district. 57 % of the total land is under net-cropped area and only 15 % of the net cropped area is under multi crop cultivation. 83 % of the net-cropped area is under Kharif paddy cultivation. Cropping intensity is 114.59. The crops are grown mostly under rainfed condition, generally with low fertilizer consumption per unit area Thus per hectare production is also low as compared to other districts of West Bengal.
Fisheries
The production of fish in this district is not much encouraging though a large no. of tanks both under Govt. & Private sector are there. If these tanks are utilized properly for Pisciculture and Duck rearing, the production of fish as well as eggs will be increased to a considerable extent thereby increasing the scope of income & employment to the rural people. Annual inland production of fish of the district is 48,928 MT. So, there is an ample possibility to bring more area under efficient pisciculture.
Area available for Pisciculture – 16214 Ha.
Dam and Reservoir –
Pond – 18575.69 Ha.
Development of Pisciculture through distribution of minikit, production of fry/fingerlings, demonstration centre on table fish production, supply of fishing nets and requisites, infrastructural facilities as fishermen village road, community hall, housing etc. and development of different fishermen co-operative sector through pisciculture, training etc. are going on. Total 129834 fishermen are benefited.
Irrigation
Total net irrigated land of this district is 87816 Ha,which is 21.57 % of the gross cropped area. There is altogether 32 Nos. of medium irrigation Schemes in this district. Out of these schemes, 26 are completed and 6 are in various stages of execution.
Irrigation potential created by these schemes are 39388 ha.
There are altogether 135 State owned and operated RLI schemes. Out of these 110 schemes are functional.
Number of RLI schemes under other departments are 150.
Total no. of Jalatirtha schemes under various departments are 366.
Total no. of Check Dams are 519. Total no. of SFMIS are 682. Other minor irrigation schemes are 987.
Forestry
Total forest coverage in this district including social forestry and degraded forest as per Satellite Imagery data is 185726 ha which is 29.69 % of the total land of the district. As per report of the forest dept. total area under forest Dept. is 115321 ha.(18.43 %).
The natural forests of the district are mostly of mixed nature and restricted to northwest part of the district covering Ajodhya Hills and Panchet hills of northeast. As per Remote sensing data the forest cover of this district is increasing compare to its past status. The extensive farm and social forestry plantation programs might have contributed in a big way to the increase in the forest cover. Forest types Purulia district as per Satellite Imagery data (IRS-IB LISS II Dec. 1994) are shown below: Purulia district as per Satellite Imagery data (IRS-IB LISS II Dec. 1994) are shown below:
| Sl. No. | Name of the class( Sq. km) | Area | Percentage to the total area of the district |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dense Sal Forest | 37.98 | 0.61 |
| 2 | Mixed Dense Forest | 141.97 | 2.27 |
| 3 | Open Sal Forest | 112.27 | 1.80 |
| 4 | Mixed Open Forest | 762.83 | 12.20 |
| 5 | Plantation | 124.45 | 1.98 |
| 6 | Degraded Forest | 677.76 | 10.83 |
| TOTAL | 1857.26 | 29.69 |