KISHANGANJ DISTRICT PROFILE

Kishanganj district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar. Kishanganj district is a part of Purnea division. Kishanganj is situated in the northeastern part of Bihar and is is part of the

chicken neck on the map of India. Kishanganj has an international border with Nepal and a narrow strip of 20 km

land of West Bengal separates Kishanganj district from Bangladesh. Kishanganj district is surrounded by the districts of Araria and Purnea of

Bihar, districts of Uttar Dinajpur and Darjeeling of West Bengal and Nepal in the north.

The important rivers flowing from the district are Mahananda, Kankai, Mechi, Doictnk, Ratua, Ramzan and Sudhani.

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Kishanganj is the distortion of the name Krishna-Kunj.

During the Mughal period, Kishanganj district was the part of Nepal and was known as Nepalgarh. Nepalgarh was captured during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam and renamed as Alamganj in his honour. Khagara was made the administrative headquarters and the historical "Khagra Mela" is held here every year.

During the Mughal rule under Nawab Mohammed Fakiruddin, a wandering Hindu saint refused to enter Amanganj despite being very tired because the names of the place, river and Nawab were Alamganj, Ramzan and Fakiruddin respectively. When the Nawab heard this grievance of the itinerant saint, he announced that some portion of land would be renamed as Krishna-Kunj. With passage of time, the name Krishna-Kunj got distorted to Kishanganj.

Kishanganj was earlier an important sub-division of the erstwhile Purnea district and became an independent district on 14th January 1990.

Kishanganj is one of the most sensitive districts of India, as the borders of this district are very near to Bangladesh and touches Nepal.

Kishanganj town is the administrative headquarters of Kishanganj district. Kishanganj district comprises of only one sub-division namely Kishanganj which is

divided into 7 blocks.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Total number of Gram Panchayats in Kishanganj district: 127. Total number of villages in Kishanganj district: 771.

The primary occupation of the people is agriculture. The main crops grown in the district:paddy, wheat, maize, jowar, gram, masoor, moong, matar, mustard, tisi, til, jute and sunflower. Some areas of the district are also under horticulture.

Kishanganj is the only tea producing district in Bihar. The main industries of the district are: ply-wood industry, tea processing plants, jute

industry, poultry farming, cottage industry and silk industry. The Oil and Natural Gas Commission is expecting a huge reservoir of oil in

Kishanganj district and after doing preliminary oil exploration at two sites in Kochadhaman and Bahadurganj blocks of the district, is likely to start drilling operation in Narkali site. Bihar government has acquired and allocated nearly 3.5 acre land at Narkali under Kochadhaman block to the ONGC for a three-year term.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

o Bhahadurganj o Dighalbank o Kishanganj o Kochadhaman

o Pothia o Terhagachha o Thakurgunj

02000400060008000

100001200014000

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

7655 7532 8043 8097 9135 9832 10237 11311

11815 13404

Per Capita Gross State and District Domestic Product

Per Capita Gross District Domestic Product

Per Capita Gross State Domestic Product

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Bihar

DEMOGRAPHIC

Population 1690948 Population density 900 per sq. km

Population growth 30.44%

Sex ratio 946 per 1000 male

Literacy rate 57.04%

Languages spoken Surjapuri, Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu

GEOGRAPHIC

Coordinates Latitude: 25º20' to 26º 30‘ North Longitude: 87º07‘ to 88º 19‘ East

Temperature 41° C (Max.) 05° C (Min.)

Average rainfall 2250 mm

Area 1884 sq. km

Height above sea level 173 feet

INDUSTRIAL

Registered industrial units 556

Registered medium & large units 03

No. of industrial areas 02

Types of industries Agro based, jute & jute based, wood / wooden based, furniture, mineral based, metal based, electrical machinery , repairing & servicing etc.

Source: MSME – DI Muzaffarpur, official website of district

Kishanganj is primarily an agricultural district . Once oil reservoir is detected in the belly of Kishanganj, it will bring prosperity to the

area and transform the economy of Kishanganj. Kishanganj will put the state of Bihar on India’s oil map.

Bhediadangi Industrial Area is under construction. There is huge potential for agro based industry .

INVESTMENT

INDUSTRIAL PROFILE

There are two industrial area situated at Khagara and Bhediadangi in Kishanganj district.

Main industries of Kishanganj district: There are few ply wood factories in Kishanganj. Apex tea processing plant is at the border of Bihar and West Bengal. Good quality of

tea is processed, which is exported to other states of India. A jute mill is also functioning and poultry farming has been undertaken on a large

scale and has become the back-bone of the rural economy of the district. Poultry is supplied to other districts of Bihar.

In cottage industry, there is a bullock-cart wheel making unit at Chakla, which is about 8 kms from Kishanganj town. Silk industry in Kishanganj block produces good quality sarees.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Investment (Rs. Lakh)

Source: MSME – DI Muzaffarpur

INDUSTRIES AT A GLANCE

Registered industrial units 556

Total industrial units 556

Registered medium & large units 03

Estimated avg. no. of daily workers employed in small scale industries

2400

Employment in large and medium industries

NA

No. of industrial areas 02

MAJOR INDUSTRIAL AREA

Particular Khagara Bhediadangi

Land acquired (in hectare) 12.12 19.38 Land developed (in hectare) 12.12 19.38 No. of allotted plots 12 04 No. of units in production 10 04

As there is no industry association in the district of Kishanganj, the existing SMEs face acute problem due to the non-availability of electricity and lack of infrastructural facilities. Further, there is lack of assistance in procuring easy finances and marketing of finished products.

Source: MSME – DI Muzaffarpur

EXISTING MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES AND ARTISAN UNITS

Type of industry No. of Units

Investment (Rs. Lakh)

Agro based 212 2459 Soda water 4 36 Cotton textile 10 28 Woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes. 2 9 Jute & jute based 58 580 Ready-made garments & embroidery 12 35 Wood/wooden based furniture 60 120 Paper & paper products 12 9 Leather based 4 16 Chemical/chemical based 10 60 Rubber, plastic & petro based 8 10 Mineral based 14 40 Metal based (Steel Fab.) 20 120 Engineering units 12 126 Electrical machinery and transport equipment 26 100 Repairing & servicing 62 30 Others 1 0 40 Total 526 3818

Source: MSME – DI Muzaffarpur

INFRASTRUCTURE

There are two industrial area. Total no. of hospitals and health centers: 203 Total no. of commercial banks and financial institutions: 188 Educational institutions:

No. of primary schools – 508 No. of middle schools – 95 No. of secondary and senior secondary schools – 28 No. of colleges – 12

INDUSTRIES IN KISHANGANJ

There are ply-wood industries in Kishanganj. Apex tea processing plant is at the border of Bihar and West Bengal. Good quality

of tea is produced which is exported to other states of India. Jute mills also exist in the district. Poultry farming is a huge success. It involves local farmers and has become the

back bone of the villagers. Poultry is supplied to other districts of Bihar. In cottage industry, Kishanganj has a bullock-cart wheel making unit at Chakla

which is about 8 kms from Kishanganj town. Silk industry in Kishanganj block produces good quality sarees.

POTENTIAL INDUSTRY

Service Industry

•Computer hardware & repairing center.

• Computer training institute.

• Beauty parlor . • Health gym etc.

Micro & Small Enterprise

•Agro based product. •Water treatment plant. •Banana fiber extraction

and banana fiber products.

•Jute products. •Fish processing unit. •Restaurants.

Medium Scale Enterprises

•M/s Lakshmi cement ltd. at Bhediadangi is under construction. • M/S Winsome International ltd. (raw jute procurement and processing unit) • Industrial area Bhediadangi, Kishanganj under construction. •Durga Industries (zinc electroplating).

S. No. Type of assistance Name and address of agencies 1. Provisional Registration Certificate

(EM-1) & Permanent Registration Certificate ( EM-II)

District Industries Centre, Kishanganj.

2. Identification of Project Profiles, techno-economic and managerial consultancy services, market survey and economic survey reports.

MSME Development Institute, Goshala Road, Ramna, Muzaffarpur & DIC – Kishanganj.

M Land and Industrial shed BIADA, Bhagalpur region.

4. Financial Assistance All commercial/ lead Bank. 5. For raw materials under Govt. Supply National Small Industries Corporation, Patna.

6. Plant and machinery under hire/

purchase basis. National Small Industries Corporation, Kankarbagh, Patna. MSME – DI, Muzaffarpur and DIC-Kishanganj.

7. Power/ Electricity Executive Engineer, Kishanganj. 8. Technical Know–how. DMSME Development Institute, Goshala

Road, Ramna, Muzaffarpur . 9. Quality & Standard Bureau of Indian Standard, Patliputra

Industrial area, Patna. 10. Marketing /Export Assistance MSME Development Institute, Goshala Road,

Ramna, Muzaffarpur .

STEPS TO SETUP MSMEs

Source: MSME – DI Muzaffarpur

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE Ra

ilway

•Kishanganj comes under Northeast Frontier Railway. It has 6 railway stations at Kishanganj, Pothia,Taiyyabpur, Thakurganj, Piprithan, Galgaliya. • Nearest railway station Kishanganj.

Road

•Linked with Purnea through National Highways. • NH 31 passes through Kishanganj.

Airp

ort

•The nearest airport is at Bagdogra.

EDUCATION

There are many schools and colleges in the district. In 2014, the foundation stone of the Kishanganj campus of Aligarh Muslim

University has been laid. The number of government and private schools are increasing. Vocational, technical,

professional and medical facilities are being provided to the district. Some of the educational institutions are as follows

Novodaya Vidyalaya M.G.M. College Lion Seva Kendra Tauheed Educational Institute

HERITAGE & TOURISM

The verdant tea gardens of Kishanganj are a veritable tourist destination. There are different places of worship, such as:

Maa Kali temple, Odra Ghat Shri Digambar Jain Mandir Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha Catholic Church, Kishanganj Mazare Kadam Rasool, Kishanganj

Bhotnathesawar Mahadev Mandir, Kishanganj Barijaan Surya Mandir, Kishanganj

Udyog Mitra, Dept. of Industries Govt. of Bihar Ground Floor, Indira Bhawan, RCS Path, Patna, Bihar 800 001. Tel : +91 612 2532695 Fax : +91 612 2532695 Email: info@udyogmitrabihar.com

Industries Department 2nd Floor, Vikas Bhawan, Bailey Road, Patna, Bihar 800 015

www.udyogmitrabihar.com