| Located
in the northeast of Bihar Kishanganj became a separate
district in 1990. Surrounded by West Bengal, Bangladesh
and Nepal it occupies a total of 1, 93, 855 hectares
(2001 census). As a densely populated region it accommodates
a total of 12, 94, 063 people and has a total irrigated
area of 27, 018 hectares. In its earliest phase the
place was ruled by the Khagada Nawab.
Accessible by air, rail and road the city is has
6 operational railway stations. Gaya International
Airport and JayaPrakash Narayan Airport are around
90 kms away.
While ginger, turmeric and
garlic are the main cash crops, Kishanganj is well-known
for its diversified range of industries. These include
- Plywood
- Tea Processing Plants
- Jute
- Poultry Farming
- Cottage
- Silk Animal husbandry is another main economic
activity of this district. With adequate support
from Government institutions this region has grown
into a bustling commercial hub.
Enriched with a fascinating historical past, the District
boasts of some appealing tourist spots. Some of them
are Town Hall, Nehru Shanti Park and Khagra Mela.
To achieve an all-comprising development, Kishanganj's
educational scenario is changing rapidly. With 508
Primary Schools, 90 Middle Schools, one Kendriya
Vidyalaya, one Navodya Vidyalaya, two Colleges,
one Polytechnic College and one Medical College,
the district provides room for more medical, technical
and vocational institutes.
In the coming years Kishanganj will definitely
emerge as one of the most developed districts of
Bihar through its industrious efforts.
Social
Most of the villages are scattered over the vast
area with distance between two intervention areas
being 60-75 kms.Some of the villages are densely
populated while others are sparsely populated comprising
mainly OBC-Surjapuri Hindus and Muslims. There are
few Santhal pockets in between. These villages are
relatively peaceful and co-exist together with little
evidence of violence based either on religion or
on caste. Most of the households are very poor and
lead simple life. However being a predominantly
Muslim society the people are conservative in their
beliefs and ideas.
Infrastructure
Most of the villages do not have pucca roads, as they
are located in the interior part of the district.
They become inaccessible during monsoons and floods
cutting them from rest of the district. The villages
do not have primary health services as most of the
PHCs are conspicuously absent or dysfunctional. Incase
of an emergency people go either to Kishanganj or
to Islampur that is 40-50 kms from the state. The
literacy rate is lowest with female rate at 18% and
2% in Muslim dominated rural areas. There are primary
schools lacking even basic facilities. The girl dropout
level is also high here as they are married off at
an early age. Most of the high schools are located
in Kishanganj and Thakurganj towns. The huge distance
from the villages makes it difficult for the girls
to continue with their education.
Economy
Agriculture is the main occupation and main source
of livelihood in the villages. There are hardly
any industries that can provide employment to the
people. This area has witnessed large scale migration
to cities like Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai. There has
been growth of large scale tea cultivation. However
it is confined to the marginal and big farmers.
The poor landless families work as daily wage workers.
Many girls who come to study at NFE centres also
work at the tea-gardens. The emergence of brick-klins
has also seen people working there during lean period.
Many farmers have sold their land-holdings to businessmen
from Siliguri etc.
Political
Political orientation along different political
parties is present and it has come out in the open
during recent elections. All the villages have prominent
local leaders and Maulanas/Maulavis who are respected
in the community. We have seen during course of
our work that without their support it is not possible
to work on sexual and reproductive health issues.
Women are not politically much aware and dependent
on their husbands and families for decision-making.
Status of Women
The known problems such as prevalence of dowry system,
early marriage, polygamy, gender inequality and
ignorance among women plague the district. The early
age for the females is 15-18 years in rural and
urban areas. There is high dependence on husbands
for information, knowledge and decisions. The socio-cultural
inhibitions have led to low mobility of women. The
RCH 98-99 have revealed poor nutrition and health
status. About 95.4% children were reported underweight.
There is high prevalence of STI/ RTI symptoms among
females (35.7% RCH Survey 1998-99).Kishanganj district
is ranked 588 out of 590 districts in the country
on RCH composite index 1998-99.There is ignorance
and indifferent attitude of women towards their
own health. The lowest literacy rate among women
is also responsible for various myths and misconceptions
prevalent about health among them.
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