Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district was formed from the Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar districts of Punjab on 7 November 1995, as the sixteenth district of Punjab State named from the headquarters town of Nawanshahr. Nawanshahr was founded by the migrants from Rahon near the Sutlej River as Rahon was in danger of being flooded. They named it Nawanshahar (meaning "New City"). Nawanshahr has been the stronghold of the Ghorewaha Rajputs allied to king Akbar via kinship ties.

Dewan Banna Mal Misr (Gautam) was born in Gautam Brahmin family of Nawanshahr. Dewan Banna Mal was manager with full sovereign powers of His Highness Maharaja Sir Randhir Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala's Estates in Oudh and served as Chief Minister Of Kapurthala State. Dewan Banna Mal built the temple Shivala Banna Mal near the Municipal Committee office, Nawanshahr. It was built in the year 1862 and tall and huge structure Haveli Banna Mal Di Haveli in Vaidan Mohalla in Nawanshahr. Dewan Banna Mal's sons Dewan Acchru Mal Gautam (Revenue Minister) and Dewan Sundri Mal Gautam (Revenue Minister) of Kapurthala State built Brahmkund Mandir at backside of Shalimar Bagh in Kapurthala. Dewan Banna Mal was the owner of 3000 acres of land in Mand area of Kapurthala on the Bank of River Beas "Bana Mal Wala" after Dewan Banna Mal Gautam's name and Brahampur villages in Tehsil Phagwara. Dewan Banna Mal's descendants are prominent citizens today settled in Kapurthala, Phagwara, Dehradun and Delhi.

Later, the city was developed and constructed by Lala Paramanand Bhuchar (Sareen) who was the first major scale thekedar of city. Lala Paramanand was given the first mould of large brick design by Queen Elizabeth in the presence of the Maharaja Patiala in his courtroom as token of gratitude to settle brick factories (Batha) in the city. Lala Paramanand build first planned Mandi (now known as old Dana Mandi) in around 1920 which even has his name "PN" on bricks and name on Foundation Stone at old Dana Mandi Gate. He resided in Lalliyan Mohalla (Lalleyan da Mohalla) situated in center of city. The mohalla have his Haveli there along with a common haveli which was residence of 100 families, a historical landmark in that mohalla made with Nanakshahi bricks.

Nawanshahr became a district in 1995 during the S. Harcharan Brar government, with strong efforts of the late S. Dilbag Singh, former Cabinet Minister and the then MLA of Nawanshahr. People of this district are economically sound. Large numbers of families from the district have settled abroad. Consequently, huge remittance is being received back in India which contributes to the district's economic development and prosperity. The prosperity of Doaba area can be appreciated by the fact that price of land here is high, and far more than most of the districts in the state except Ludhiana and Chandigarh. Nawanshahr is rising due to the currency coming from overseas Punjabi people who have settled abroad. Nawanshahr also has a rail track connecting it with Jalandhar, Rahon and Jaijon.

On 27 September 2008 at Khatkar Kalan, 8 km from Nawanshahr, the Punjab government announced that a district in the state would be named after freedom fighterBhagat Singh. The announcement was made by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to mark Bhagat Singh's 101st birth anniversary. As a result, Nawanshahr district was renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.[3]

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district is located at 31.8°N 76.7°E / 31.8; 76.7.[4] The total area is 1,258 square kilometres (km²).[5]

This region has abundant health facilities. Private clinics and nursing homes not only surprise with their numbers but also some of them claim to have the latest medical equipment. There is an adequate number of Government Hospitals, Dispensaries and Primary Health Centers in this area. The hospitals in Nawanshahr have capacity of 64 beds and are equipped with latest medical tools. Banga and Balachaur hospitals are having capacity of 30 beds each. Also Mukandpur, Urapar, Sujjon, Saroya and Muzzaffarpur are providing all kinds of health services. Even for every village of the district, health services are available. Veterinary hospitals can be found in Nawanshahr, Rahon, Saroya, and Balachaur.

According to the 2011 Census, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district has a population of 612,310,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands[7] or the US state of Vermont.[8] This gives it a ranking of 522nd in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 479 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,240/sq mi) .[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 4.58%.[2] Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar has a sex ratio of 954 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 80.3%.[2]

At the 2001 Census, the total population of the district was 587,468.[5] There were 306,902 males and 280,566 females.[5] The sex ratio was 913 females for every 1000 males.[5] The district had a population density of 439 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,140/sq mi). From 1991 to 2001, the population increased by 10.43%.[5]

• Choudhry Rahmat Ali, Muslim nationalist
• Jazzy B, Indo-Canadian singer
• Amrish Puri, Indian actor
• Madan Puri, Indian actor
• B.R. Chopra, film director and producer
• Yash Chopra, film director and producer
• Ashwani Joshi, Environmentalist & social crusader
• Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Indian music director
• Sukhshinder Shinda, Punjabi singer, music director, and producer

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.

• The official website of the district
• Nawanshahr Portal
• WikiMapia