Pakur

This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Pakur district.

Pakur
—  city  —
Pakur Location of Pakur in Jharkhand and India
Coordinates	24°38′N 87°51′E / 24.63°N 87.85°E / 24.63; 87.85Coordinates: 24°38′N 87°51′E / 24.63°N 87.85°E / 24.63; 87.85
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
District(s)	Pakur
Population	36,014 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 816107 • Telephone • ++91-06435
Website	http://www.pakur.nic.in

Pakur (previously known as Pakaur) is the district headquarters of Pakur District, Jharkhand state, India.

It is located in the north east corner of Jharkhand State: at 23°40' to 25°18' latitude and 86°25' to 87°57' E. longitude. Pakur is bordered by Sahibganj district in North, Dumka district in South, Godda district in West and Murshidabad district (of the West Bengal) in the East. Pakur has an area of about 696 square kilometres and a population of 700,032 (2001 Census).

Pakur was earlier a Sub-Division of Santhal Parganas district of Bihar. It was upgraded to the status of district in 1994. Upon reorganization of Bihar state, India, in 2000 into two separate states, namely, Bihar and Jharkhand, Pakur district came under the administrative control of the Jharkhand state.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[1] Pakur had a population of 36,014. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Pakur has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 67%, and female literacy is 55%. In Pakur, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Traditionally, Pakur has been the land of Santhals and Paharias adivasis. However, over a period of time, demographic composition has gradually changed and the local folks have come to the mainstream of the Indian society.

Economy

A Stone crushing unit in Pakur.

The economy of the district is predominantly agricultural. The district is also endowed with mineral wealth like coal, china clay, fire clay, and silica. However, infrastructural constraints have inhibited the growth of mining and allied industries. One of the main businesses of the city is mining and crushing. It is also known for the manufacturing of Crushing and screening equipments. It is also the place where the first indigenous crusher manufacturing unit was found in 1928 and is still functional in the name of "Agarwalla Crushers" and is being run by the sixth generation of entrepreneurs.

Since last decade there has been an enormous activity of coal excavation in the area as well. It has one of the biggest reserves of coal in the world. Currently only one block of coal is active in the region. It has been allotted to the Punjab State Government for their captive Thermal Power Plants. The excavation work on behalf of the Punjab State Government is being done by PANAM. It is a private - public joint venture between Punjab Government and AMTA.

Education

Pakur is increasing steadily on the education front. Many schools and colleges are beaming up in Pakur. Some include:

1. D.A.V. School
2. Pakur Raj Intermediate School
3. Bethany Mission School
4. Harindanga High School
5. Jidato Girls Schoo
6. Blue Buds Model School
7. K.K.M College
8. Sandhya College
9. Rani Joytirmayee Girls High School
10. St. Joseph's School
11. Bapu Shikshan Sansthan

References

1. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

External links

• Pakur District Administration