Dhemaji district

Dhemaji district (Pron:deɪˈmɑ:ʤi or di:ˈmɑ:ʤi) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhemaji and commercial headquarters being located Silapathar. The district occupies an area of 3237 km² and has a population of 686,133 (as of 2011). Main Religions are Hindus 548,780, Muslims 10,533, Christians 6,390.

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Dhemaji.
Dhemaji district
District
Dhemaji district's location in Assam
CountryIndia
StateAssam
DivisionUpper Assam
HeadquartersDhemaji
Area
 • Total3,237 km2 (1,250 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total686,133
 • Density210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-AS-DM
Websitehttp://dhemaji.nic.in/

Etymology

The district's name Dhemaji is derived from the Deori-Chutia word Dema-ji which means great water indicating it to be a flood-prone region.[1]

History

The areas of the present district was part of the greater Chutiya kingdom along with Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Sonitpur district from the 12th century to the 16th century until the Ahom-Chutiya war during the early period of the 16th century. The Ahoms created a new position Banlungia Gohain to control the area. Monuments built during the Chutia rule include Malinithan, Garakhia Than, Bordoloni Than and Basudev temple. A number of monuments Ghuguha Dol, Ma Manipuri Than, Padumani Than built by the Ahom kings are worth visiting.

Dhemaji became a fully-fledged district on 14 October 1989 when it was split from Lakhimpur district.[2]

Geography

Dhemaji district occupies an area of 3,237 square kilometres (1,250 sq mi),[3] comparatively equivalent to Solomon Islands' Makira Island.[4] It is one of the most developing districts of India, at the easternmost part of Assam. Situated in the foothills of the lower Himalayas it is relatively a small town.

Being in a confluence of rivers with the mighty Brahmaputra river flanking the district and its numerous tributaries running through the district, the region is perennially affected by floods.

The heart of Dhemaji district is Dhemaji Mouza (an area demarcated by the British regime for the purpose of tax collection, equivalent to a taluk or pargana in the pan-Indian context). Secondly, Silapathar is the main business place of Dhemaji. The Bogibil project was running nearest to these place and is completed which connects dibrugarh.

Education

Bhairabpur Netaji M. E. School, Medium Assamese, Estd. 1975. St.Francis De sales school Mothers pride academy Dhemaji public school Dhemaji engineering college Dhemaji college Commerce college and many others

Economy

In 2006 the Indian government named Dhemaji one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[5] It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF),but Silapathar being the most developed city in dhemaji district it mainly depend upon trade and commerce.[5]

Divisions

There are two Assam Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Dhemaji and Jonai.[6] Both are designated for scheduled tribes.[6] They make up a part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency.[7] Dhemaji district is politically very poor. Community politics is main reason for this.As of 2019, Pradhan Baruah is MP (Member of Parliament), Ranuj Pegu is MLA from Dhemaji and Bhubon Pegu from Jonai.[8]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
190121,324—    
191126,930+2.36%
192136,106+2.98%
193144,742+2.17%
194154,896+2.07%
195164,745+1.66%
1961113,439+5.77%
1971230,762+7.36%
1991478,830+3.72%
2001571,944+1.79%
2011686,133+1.84%
source:[9]

According to the 2011 census Dhemaji district has a population of 686,133,[10] roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea[11] or the US state of North Dakota.[12] This gives it a ranking of 504th in India (out of a total of 640).[10] The district has a population density of 213 inhabitants per square kilometre (550/sq mi) .[10] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.3%.[10] Dhemaji has a sex ratio of 949 females for every 1000 males,[10] and a literacy rate of 69.07%.[10]

The district is inhabited by indigenous Assamese people which include — Mishing, Chutias , Ahom, Sonowal Kacharis, Koch, Kalita, Kaibartas, Tiwa (Lalung) and Deori. Also there are the migrant Gorkha and Hindu and Muslim Bengalis.

Township areas

Flora and fauna

In 1996 Dhemaji district became home to the Bardoibum-Beelmukh Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 11 km2 (4.2 sq mi).[13] It shares the park with Lakhimpur district.

References
  1. Brown, W.B. An Outline of the Deori-Chutia language. Assam secretariat printing office,1895, p. 70.
  2. Law, Gwillim (2011-09-25). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Assam: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. p. 1116. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2011-10-11. Makira 3,190
  5. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  6. "List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Revenue & Election District wise break - up" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  7. "List of Assembly Constituencies showing their Parliamentary Constituencies wise break - up" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Assam website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  8. "MEMBERS OF ASSAM LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY". Government of Assam, Directorate of Information & Public Relations. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  9. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  10. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  11. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. Equatorial Guinea 668,225 July 2011 est.
  12. "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2011-09-30. North Dakota 672,591
  13. Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Assam". Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.

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