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Simdega district
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Simdega district is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Simdega town is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011, this district is the least densely populated district and the third least populous district of Jharkhand after Lohardaga and Khunti districts.[1] Simdega District was carved out from erstwhile Gumla district on 30 April 2001. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.[2]
Key Information
Administration
[edit]Blocks/Mandals
[edit]The following are the list of blocks (10 blocks) in Simdega district.
Panchayats and villages
[edit]Demographics
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 179,857 | — |
| 1911 | 210,096 | +16.8% |
| 1921 | 202,128 | −3.8% |
| 1931 | 237,371 | +17.4% |
| 1941 | 253,770 | +6.9% |
| 1951 | 281,912 | +11.1% |
| 1961 | 315,806 | +12.0% |
| 1971 | 378,731 | +19.9% |
| 1981 | 403,900 | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 446,421 | +10.5% |
| 2001 | 514,320 | +15.2% |
| 2011 | 599,578 | +16.6% |
| Source: Census of India[3] | ||
According to the 2011 census, Simdega district has a population of 599,578,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands[5] or the US state of Wyoming.[6] This gives it a ranking of 526th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 160 inhabitants per square kilometre (410/sq mi).[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.62%.[1] Simdega has a sex ratio of 1000 females for every 1000 males;[1] and a literacy rate of 67.99%. 7.16% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 7.45% and 70.78% of the population respectively.[1]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 53.91% of the population spoke Sadri, 22.50% Mundari, 15.44% Kharia, 4.02% Hindi, 1.44% Kurukh and 1.36% Urdu as their first language.[7] Simdega is the only district in India outside of the Northeast that has a Christian majority.
Economy
[edit]In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Simdega one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[8] It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[8]
Popular places
[edit]- Palkot Wildlife Sanctuary: A wildlife sanctuary known for wild animals including leopard, sloth bear.[1]

- Kelaghagh dam: A dam on Chhinda river in Simdega. There is facility of boating through motor-boats and para-sailing.[9]

- Ramrekha Dham - it is commonly believed that Lord Rama had visited this place in his exile years.[10]

See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "District Census Handbook: Simdega" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
- ^ "83 districts under the Security Related Expendure Scheme". IntelliBriefs. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Jharkhand" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ "Table C-01 Population By Religion: Jharkhand". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
Solomon Islands 571,890 July 2011 est.
- ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
Wyoming 563,626
- ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Jharkhand". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ "केलाघाघ डैम परिसर को है सफाई का इंतेजार". Live Hindustan. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "राममय हुआ सिमडेगा का रामरेखा धाम, माघ पूर्णिमा पर उमड़ी श्रद्धालुओं की भीड़". Prabhat Khabar. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
External links
[edit]Simdega district
View on GrokipediaGeography
Location and Boundaries
. These sites contain paintings and petroglyphs depicting motifs associated with early hunter-gatherer lifestyles, such as human figures, animals, and geometric patterns, potentially linked to Neolithic or Mesolithic periods based on stylistic comparisons with other Jharkhand rock art traditions.[21][22][23] Indigenous tribal communities, notably the Oraon (also called Kurukh), a Dravidian-speaking group, and the Kharia, an Austroasiatic-speaking people, represent the primary ancient inhabitants, with continuous presence in the area's forested plateaus. Oraon oral histories describe origins tied to divine emergence from a creator's chest or migrations from southwestern regions near the Ganga River, reflecting adaptive strategies to the local ecology of shifting cultivation and forest-based sustenance.[24][25] Kharia traditions, preserved through creation myths, emphasize ancestral prosperity in clearing forests for settlement and agriculture, underscoring their deep-rooted connection to Jharkhand's terrain without evidence of large-scale displacement until later periods.[26][27] Archaeological and historical documentation remains sparse for direct imperial overlays, but the region's prehistoric tribal autonomy likely persisted amid peripheral contacts with empires such as the Mauryan (circa 322–185 BCE) and Gupta (circa 320–550 CE), whose administrative reach into remote Chotanagpur areas was constrained by terrain and decentralized tribal structures.[28] No inscriptions or artifacts definitively tie Simdega to these polities, prioritizing local self-governance over centralized control.[28]Colonial Period and Integration
The region encompassing modern Simdega district fell under British colonial administration in the early 19th century as part of the Bengal Presidency, following the consolidation of control over the Chotanagpur plateau after the defeat of local rulers and the imposition of direct revenue collection systems.[28] Initially administered through the South-West Frontier Agency established in 1833 to manage tribal areas, the territory experienced disruptions to traditional communal land tenure as British policies favored zamindari settlements that empowered intermediaries and imposed fixed revenue demands, often leading to indebtedness among indigenous cultivators.[28] By the late 19th century, following the 1912 separation of Bihar from Bengal, the area transferred to the Bihar and Orissa Province, where efforts to extend revenue assessments into forested tribal zones provoked localized passive resistance, including evasion of surveys and sporadic clashes over forest access, though no large-scale revolts were recorded specifically in Simdega unlike neighboring Munda uprisings.[29] Administrative reorganization intensified in the early 20th century; Simdega was formally established as a subdivision of Ranchi district in 1915 to improve governance over remote tribal populations, with a deputy commissioner overseeing revenue, police, and judicial functions from a newly constructed headquarters.[30] This subdivision encompassed approximately 3,000 square miles of hilly terrain inhabited predominantly by Oraon, Munda, and Kharia communities, who maintained customary rights under the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which partially recognized tribal land holdings to mitigate unrest but still prioritized colonial revenue extraction.[29] British records note ongoing challenges in enforcing permanent settlements due to slash-and-burn shifting cultivation practices, which conflicted with demands for settled agriculture and cash crops like lac and timber for export.[28] Upon India's independence on August 15, 1947, Simdega's territory integrated seamlessly into the Dominion of India as part of Bihar Province, retaining its subdivision status under the provincial government without disruption from princely state negotiations, given its direct British administration.[28] Local freedom fighters, including Ganga Bishun Rohilla, had participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942, contributing to the broader anti-colonial momentum that facilitated this administrative continuity.[28] The transition preserved existing revenue and land laws, with tribal protections under the 1908 Act carrying forward into the post-colonial framework, averting immediate upheaval in the region's governance structure.[30]Post-Independence Formation and Developments
Simdega district emerged as a distinct administrative unit shortly after the creation of Jharkhand state on November 15, 2000, through the Bihar Reorganisation Act, which addressed longstanding tribal demands for autonomy from Bihar's administrative framework due to perceived neglect of indigenous regions' resource rights and cultural identity.[31][28] Previously a subdivision of Gumla district, Simdega was officially carved out and elevated to full district status via government notification on April 30, 2001, spanning 3,774 square kilometers to facilitate localized governance for its predominantly tribal population.[11][5] This division aligned with broader post-independence efforts to decentralize administration in Jharkhand's southern plateau, enabling targeted interventions in areas like service delivery amid a recorded population of 599,578 in early post-formation assessments.[5] Local contributions to India's independence movement underscored the region's historical resistance ethos, with Ganga Bishun Rohilla documented as a prominent freedom fighter originating from Simdega, participating in anti-colonial activities that echoed tribal defiance against external rule.[28] Post-1947, these legacies informed ongoing autonomy assertions, particularly through the Pathalgadi movement, which gained traction in Simdega during the late 2010s. Tribal communities, primarily Mundas, erected stone slabs (pathalgadi) inscribed with excerpts from the Indian Constitution's Fifth Schedule to reaffirm customary land rights, self-governance, and protection against alienation, reflecting causal tensions from resource encroachments despite legal safeguards.[32][33] This grassroots initiative highlighted persistent demands for empirical enforcement of tribal protections, though it faced state crackdowns for alleged anti-establishment overtones. Infrastructure milestones post-formation have centered on planning frameworks to bolster connectivity and resource management in the district's hilly terrain. The preparation of a GIS-based Master Plan for Simdega, drafted in alignment with Jharkhand's 2000 statehood, outlined zonal development up to 2040, prioritizing urban expansion, road networks, and irrigation potential creation of 10.696 billion cubic meters through surface and groundwater schemes.[34] A 2016 City Sanitation Plan further targeted universal access to sanitation infrastructure, integrating rural blocks like Bano and Kersai into broader hygiene initiatives, though implementation has proceeded incrementally amid challenges like Naxalite influences in the Red Corridor. These efforts represent verifiable steps toward mitigating isolation, with no large-scale industrial projects established by 2016, preserving the district's agrarian-tribal character.[35]Administration and Governance
Administrative Structure
Simdega district is administered through a hierarchical structure with its headquarters located in Simdega town, which functions as both the district and subdivision headquarters.[1] The town is governed by the Simdega Nagar Parishad, encompassing an area of 49.9 square kilometers and a population of 42,760 as recorded in the 2011 census.[36] The district consists of a single subdivision, Simdega, which is further divided into 10 community development blocks, also referred to as circles, for local governance and development purposes: Bano, Bansjore, Bolba, Jaldega, Kersai, Kolebira, Kurdeg, Pakartanr, Simdega, and Thethaitangar.[37][38] These blocks oversee rural administration, including revenue collection and implementation of development schemes. At the grassroots level, the blocks are subdivided into 94 gram panchayats, which manage village-level affairs such as local infrastructure, sanitation, and community welfare.[37] The district includes approximately 449 villages under these panchayats, facilitating decentralized governance in line with India's Panchayati Raj system.[39] Revenue functions are handled through circle offices aligned with the blocks, while judicial administration is supported by a district and sessions court in Simdega, overseeing civil and criminal matters with subordinate magistrate courts.[40]Political Representation and Elections
Simdega district is part of the Khunti Lok Sabha constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes. In the 2024 general election, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Arjun Munda secured victory with 511,647 votes.[41] The district contributes to this parliamentary seat through its assembly segments, ensuring tribal representation at the national level.[42] At the state level, Simdega district encompasses two Scheduled Tribe-reserved assembly constituencies: Simdega (No. 70) and Kolebira (No. 71), both falling under the Khunti parliamentary constituency. These seats reflect the district's significant indigenous population, with electoral outcomes prioritizing ST candidates as mandated by the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order of 2008.[42] In recent elections, the Indian National Congress has demonstrated dominance, winning both seats in the 2019 and 2024 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly elections, amid competition from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. This pattern indicates sustained support for Congress among tribal voters in the district, despite broader state-level shifts where the BJP-JD(U) alliance challenged the JMM-Congress coalition.[43][44]| Constituency | 2024 Winner (Party) | Votes | Runner-up (Party) | Voter Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simdega (ST) | Bhushan Bara (INC) | 75,392 | Shraddhanand Besra (BJP) | 68.85% |
| Kolebira (ST) | Naman Bixal Kongari (INC) | 74,403 (EVM) + 973 (postal) | Sujan Jojo (BJP) | ~68% (district average) |