Majuli district [1] is the largest river island in the world,[2] situated on the Brahmaputra River in Northeastern Assam. It is also the first island district of the country.[3] It is populated by Misings.
Majuli district | |
---|---|
Wetland in Majuli | |
Location of Majuli district in Assam | |
Coordinates: 26°57′0″N 94°10′0″E / 26.95000°N 94.16667°ECoordinates: 26°57′0″N 94°10′0″E / 26.95000°N 94.16667°E | |
Country | India |
State | Assam |
Division | Upper Assam |
Headquarters | Garamur |
Government | |
• Lok Sabha constituencies | Lakhimpur |
• Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Majuli |
Area | |
• Total | 880 km2 (340 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 167,304 |
• Density | 190/km2 (490/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
Vehicle registration | AS-29 |
Website | majuli |
On June 27, 2016 an additional district was announced by Sarbananda Sonowal, taking the total number from 32 to 33 after Majuli was carved out of the Northern parts of Jorhat.[4]
Administration
The district consists of one circle, Majuli. The Deputy Commissioner is Bikram Kairi, IAS.
Economy
The main industry is agriculture, with paddy being the chief crop. Majuli has a rich and diverse agricultural tradition, with as many as 100 varieties of rice grown, all without pesticides or artificial fertilisers.
Handloom is a major occupation among the distaff population of the villages. Although largely a non-commercial occupation, it keeps many of the inhabitants occupied. Weaving is exquisite and intricate with the use of a variety of colours and textures of cotton and silk, especially Muga silk.
Among the fascinating arrays of rice produced are the Komal Saul, a unique type that can be eaten after immersing the grains in warm water for 15 minutes and usually eaten as a breakfast cereal; the bao dhan, that grows under water and is harvested after ten months and the Bora saul, a sticky brown rice used to make the traditional cake known as pitha. Fishing, dairying, pottery, handloom and boat-making are other important economic activities.[5]
Demographics
As of the 2011 census, Majuli district has a population of 1,67,304. Scheduled Castes make up 23,878 which is 14.27% of the population, while Scheduled Tribes make up 77,603 which is 46.38% of the population.[6]
165,699 are Hindus which is 99.04% of the population.
At the time of the 2011 census, 54.47% of the population spoke Assamese, 41.01% Mising, 1.66% Bengali and 1.22% Deori as their first language.[8]
Politics
Majuli (Vidhan Sabha constituency) falls under the 99 constituency of legislative assembly of Assam. It is a reserved seat for the Scheduled tribes (ST). Majuli is one of the 9 assembly segments of Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency. At present Sarbananda Sonowal (2014-) is the Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party and was the Union Minister of State-Independent Charge for Sports & Youth Affairs, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship but resigned after becoming Chief Minister of Assam.[9]
It is under jurisdiction of Mising Autonomous Council having three constituencies. Rajib Lochan Pegu won the seat [2001-2006 & 2006-2011, 2011- 2016] was MLA from Mājuli in Assam Assembly until 2016. He was bearing the portfolio of Minister of State (Ind.), Water Resources Dev., WPT & BC, in the Government of Assam.
See also
- Jadav Payeng
- Tourism in Assam
- List of villages in Majuli
References
- ^ Official Website
- ^ "Assam's Majuli to become India's first island district today".
- ^ "Assam: Majuli becomes 1st river island district of India". Hindustan Times. Guwahati. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ Majuli to get district status today
- ^ The Only Govt Jobs updates website open from Majuli Archived 2017-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "District census 2011 - Jorhat" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2011.
- ^ "C-16 Population By Religion - Assam". census.gov.in. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue
- ^ "List of Winning Candidates of Assam State in General Election 2014". Election Commission of India.
External links
- Official website