Bikramjit Saha
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Indian Streams Research Journal Volume 2, Issue. 7, Aug 2012 Available online at www.isrj.net ISSN:-2230-7850 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Spatial Distribution Of Schedule Caste And Schedule Tribe Population In The Urban Areas Of Koch Bihar District. Bikramjit Saha M.A ( Geo ), B.Ed, PhD, Asstt. Headmaster, Tufanganj Vivekananda Vidyalaya ( H.S ), Koch Bihar, West Bengal ( India ), Email Id- [email protected] Abstract: The study of social structure and ethnic composition of the population in the urban areas leads to an understanding the quality of urban development in the Indian context. Each sectorial group of population with its certain socio- economic traditions and way of life has been sharing the urban process in any urban areas in the recent years. Accordingly, the proportion of schedule caste and schedule tribe population living in urban areas provides and indication of the content and quality of their role in the process of modernization and socio economic development. Each of the two types of proportion referred as its own significance. At the same time both are relevant for an understanding the process of urbanisation.The present paper attempts to identify and analyze the spatial patterns in the distribution of Schedule caste and scheduled tribe population in the urban areas of Koch Bihar district. KEY WORDS: Schedule caste, Scedule tribe, Rajbansis, Ravas,Oraon, M.T ( Municipal town ) ,C.T ( Census Town ) 1. INTRODUCTION : The term 'Scheduled Caste' appeared for the first time in the Government of India Act, 1935. The British Government issued the Government of India Scheduled Caste Order, 1936 classifying certain castes, races and tribes as scheduled castes, as categorized by Hutton, the Census Commissioner of India in 1931. At the time of drafting of Indian Constitution the Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Neheru and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, realized that the special attention needed to be paid to the scheduled caste communities. No doubt they have been oppressed and exploited for centuries in an unequal and caste hierarchical / feudal society and are an under-privileged lot. In India majority of scheduled caste population live in rural areas. But in urban areas the S.C. population are less numbers and the district of Koch Bihar is no exception. The Scheduled Castes of Koch Bihar have registered a phenomenal growth rate during the last decade than the general population of the district. The urban population growth during the year 1991 – 2001 the district of Koch Bihar has been marked by an increase of 9.10% whereas the scheduled castes in the urban areas of Koch Bihar district have growth by 19.47% during the last decade. In the urbanareas of this district the population of scheduled caste population is little less than of the State. About 19.91% of the urban populations of this district belong to the scheduled whereas it was 16.54% in 1991. Among different towns of Koch Bihar district Mekhliganj town has the highest scheduled caste population 50.92% in the year 2001 whereas Kharimala Khagrabari has the Please cite this Article as : Bikramjit Saha , Spatial Distribution Of Schedule Caste And Schedule Tribe Population In The Urban Areas Of Koch Bihar District. : Indian Streams Research Journal (Aug. ; 2012) Spatial Distribution Of Schedule Caste And Schedule Tribe Population........ 2 lowest scheduled caste population containing only 13.21% population. All other towns having different class have different proportion of scheduled caste population. In Cooch Behar (M.T.) 14.59% of the population belong to scheduled caste. In Mathabhanga their proportion is 20.46% and in Dinhata 15.29%, in Tufanganj 21.12%, in Haldibary 32.58% and in Khagrabari and Guriahati (C.T.) it is 24.97% and 16.26% scheduled caste population respectively. 2.THE STUDY AREA : The state of Koch Bihar, which once formed a part of ancient kingdom of Kamrupa, Khens, Koch has a great historical tradition. Even after the independence of India, Koch Bihar still remained a feudatory native state in political relation with the Govt. of India under Hindu King – the Maharaja of Koch Bihar. In January, 1950, Koch Bihar merged with the state of West Bengal is presently the farthest north-eastern border district of West Bengal adjacent to Assam and Bangladesh. In Koch Bihar district, now there are five sub divisions viz. Cooch Behar Sadar, Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Tufanganj and Mekhliganj covering eight police stations viz. Cooch Behar Kotowali (Sadar), Dinhata and Sitai in Dinhata Subdivision, Mathabhanga and Sitalkuchi in Mathabhanga Subdivision, Tufanganj in Tufanganj subdivision and Mekhliganj and Haldibari in Mekhliganj Subdivision. In this district there are six municipal towns viz. Cooch Behar (District Headquarter), Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Tufanganj, Mekhliganj and Haldibari. It is to be noted that except Mekhliganj, all subdivisions of this district have Municipal towns. Under Mekhliganj Subdivision, besides Mekhliganj, Haldibari Police station has become another municipal town of this district. 3.Objectives : The objectives of the present study are : i) To analyse the spatial pattern and distribution of schedule caste population ii) To analyse the spatial pattern and distribution of schedule tribe population iii) To find out the major findings iv) To made a conclusion regarding the spatial distribution 4. METHODOLOGY : In order to carry out the study, all six municipal and four census towns of Koch Bihar are selected purposively. The present work is based on secondary data. All data are collected from books, journals,the census reports, district census hand books and key of statistics of Koch Bihar district, In order to analyse and interpret the data obtained from the census of this district statistical tools and techniques are used in this study. The literacy rate are classified into very high, high, moderate, low and very low category.The calculated data are plotted by suitable cartographic methods such as histogram, bar graphs etc. 5. Spatial distribution of schedule caste : The percentage of scheduled caste population to the total population of different towns of this district reveals clearly the pattern of scheduled caste concentration in different towns of the district and they are classified into five broad categories. i) Areas of Very High Concentration –– The areas with high concentration of above 50% scheduled caste population form only one town which is class IV town Mekhliganj comprising 50.92% scheduled caste population. ii) Areas of High Concentration –– In this district there is no town of high concentration of 40.1 – 50% scheduled caste population. iii) Areas of Medium Concentration –– This area of medium concentration with 30.1 – 40% scheduled caste population is comprising two towns of this district one class IV town Haldibari (32.58%) and one class VI town Bhangri Pratham Khanda (31.36%). .iv) Areas of Low Concentration –– There are three towns of low i.e. 20.1 – 30% scheduled caste population. They are one class III town Mathabhanga (20.46%), two class IV town Tufanganj (21.12%) and Khagrabari (24.97%). v) Areas of Very Low Concentration –– Area of negligible scheduled caste population concentration of below 20% is confined in four towns of this district. They are: i) Class II town Cooch Behar (14.59%) recorded lowest percentage in the district. ii) Class III town Dinhata comprises 15.29% in the district. Indian Streams Research Journal • Volume 2 Issue 7 • Aug 2012 Spatial Distribution Of Schedule Caste And Schedule Tribe Population........ 3 iii) Class IV town Guriahati comprises 16.26% in the district. iv) Class V town Kharimala Khagrabari comprises 13.21% in the district. 5.1 Schedule caste sex ratio : Among different towns sex ration is highest in Tufanganj (1185.18/000 males) and lowest in Mathabhanga (718.75/000 males). 5.2 Ward wise sex ratio of schedule caste population : The ward wise study of sex ratio of scheduled caste population of different municipal towns of Koch Bihar district shows that except Mekhliganj and Haldibary in most of the wards of all other towns the female schedule caste population is higher than male i.e. high sex ratio. But exception is noticed in some of the wards of the said municipal towns viz. in Mathabhanga (M.T.) ward no. 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 have recorded 890, 960, 814.81, 918.16, 852.63, 916.26 females / 000 males respectively; in Koch Bihar (M.T.) ward no. 1, 4, 5, 17 have recorded 907.66, 837.64, 839.26, 684.04 females / 000 males respectively in Tufanganj (M.T.) ward no. 2, 3, 8, 9, 11 have recorded 884.21, 902.22, 941.86, 906.78, 934.78 females / 000 males respectively; in Dinhata (M.T.) ward no. 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16 have recorded 878.38, 983.05, 925.53, 915.34, 953.22, 818.18, 803.92 females / 000 males respectively. Besides female population is higher in some of the wards of Haldibary (M.T.) viz. ward no. 9, 10 and 11 which have recorded 1191.26, 1029.56, 1028.37 females / 000 males respectively. But in Mekhliganj (M.T.) there is no ward where female S.C. population is higher than the males. Among different wards of six municipal towns the female scheduled caste population recorded highest in the ward no. 7 of Koch Bihar (M.T.) where their proportion is 1342.86 females / 000 males followed by ward no. 4 of Tufanganj (M.T.) where their proportion is 1321.43 / 000 males. Table- III.23 reveals clearly the pattern of ward-wise scheduled caste concentration in six municipal towns of this district and they are classified into six broad categories viz. i) Very High Concentration –– Two towns comprising two wards have very high concentration of above 1300 females / 000 males scheduled caste population viz.