Patna district


Patna district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Patna, the capital of Bihar state is the district headquarters. Patna district is a part of Patna division.
As of 2011, it is the most populous district of Bihar and fifteenth most populous district in India.
The revenue district of Patna comes under the jurisdiction of a District Collector. The office of the Patna DM is in Patna Collectorate.

History

Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Patna was founded in 490 BCE by the king of Magadha. Ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire under the Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta and Pala empires. Pataliputra was a seat of learning and fine arts. Patliputra was home to many mathematicians, astronomers, astrologists and scholars including Aryabhata, Panini, Vātsyāyana, Chanakya and Kālidāsa. Its population during the Maurya period was about 400,000. Patna served as the seat of power, political and cultural centre of Indian subcontinent during the Maurya and Gupta empires. With the fall of Gupta Empire, Patna lost its glory. It was revived again in the 17th century by the British as a centre of international trade.

Modern history

The modern district of Patna was created in September 1770 as provincial council by the British, to supervise revenue matters of Bihar, along with Murshidabad for Bengal. In 1793, Patna became a separate judicial district. This led the foundation of modern district.

Post-independence

The re-organization of the districts in the State took effect in the year 1972. On November 9, 1972 Nalanda district was constituted by carving out Bihar Sharif sub-division of Patna district.

Geography

The district is bounded by the Son river on the west, on the north by the ganges river, and on the south by Nalanda, Arwal, and Jehanabad districts. On the east Begusarai district is bordered and partly by the Lakhisarai to the southeast. Boundaries of the district are naturally determined by rivers in north and west.
Patna district occupies an area of, comparatively equivalent to the Solomon Islands' Makira Island.

Blocks

The district has 23 blocks: Patna Sadar, Phulwari Sharif, Sampatchak, Paliganj, Fatuha, Khusrupur, Daniyawaan, Bakhtiyarpur, Barh, Belchi, Athmalgola, Mokama, Pandarak, Ghoswari, Bihta, Maner, Danapur, Naubatpur, Bikram, Masaurhi, Dhanarua, Punpun.

Sub-divisions

Patna district comprises six sub-divisions:
  1. Patna Sadar
  2. Patna City
  3. Barh
  4. Danapur
  5. Masaurhi
  6. Paliganj

    Assembly constituencies

The district is divided into fourteen assembly constituencies:
The district has three parliament constituencies:
-Numbers denote constituency number.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Patna district has a population of 5,838,465, roughly equal to the nation of Nicaragua or the US state of Maryland. This gives it a ranking of 15th in India. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.34%. Patna has a sex ratio of 897 females for every 1,000 males, and a literacy rate of 72.47%.
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 93.18% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 5.19% Urdu and 1.24% Maithili as their first language.

Climate

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Patna one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is one of the 38 districts in Bihar currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.
Agricultural products include paddy, maize, pulses, wheat, and oilseeds. Roughly one-third of the area sown is under rice. Cash crops such as vegetables and watermelons are also grown in the Diara belt. Major industries include leather, handicrafts, and agro-processing.

Education

Schools in Patna are either government run schools or private schools. Schools mainly use Hindi or English as the medium of instruction. The schools are affiliated with the Bihar School Examination Board, the Central Board of Secondary Education, the National Institute of Open Schooling or the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education. Under the 10+2+3/4 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a school with a higher secondary facility affiliated with the BSEB, the NIOS, Indian School Certificate or the CBSE. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts, commerce, or science, though vocational streams are also available. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enroll in general or professional degree programmed.