In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of District, administratively earmarked for planning and development. [1] In tribal areas, similar sub-divisions are called tribal development blocks (TD blocks). [2] The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technical specialists and village-level workers. [3] A community development block covers several gram panchayats, the local administrative units at the village level. A block is a rural subdivision and typically smaller than a tehsil. A tehsil is purely for revenue administration, whereas a block is for rural development purposes. In most states, a block is coterminous with the panchayat samiti area. [4] [5] [6]
The nomenclature varies from state to state, such as common terms like "block" and others including community development block, panchayat union block, panchayat block, panchayat samiti block, development block, etc. All denote a CD Block, which is a subdivision of a district, exclusively for rural development. [7] [6] [4]
The concept of the community development block was first suggested by Grow More Food (GMF) Enquiry Committee in 1952 to address the challenge of multiple rural development agencies working without a sense of common objectives. [8] Based on the committee's recommendations, the community development programme was launched on a pilot basis in 1952 to provide for a substantial increase in the country's agricultural programme, and for improvements in systems of communication, in rural health and hygiene, and in rural education and also to initiate and direct a process of integrated culture change aimed at transforming the social and economic life of villagers. [9] The community development programme was rapidly implemented. In 1956, by the end of the first five-year plan period, there were 248 blocks, covering around a fifth of the population in the country. By the end the second five-year plan period, there were 3,000 blocks covering 70 per cent of the rural population. By 1964, the entire country was covered. [10]
In India, a Civil service officer of the rank of Block Development Officer (BDO) is the in-charge of a CD Block in India. BDO are usually officers of representative state-governments. BDO reports to the Chief Development Officer CDO.
State | CD Block | Number of CD Blocks |
---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | CD Block | 9 |
Andhra Pradesh | Mandal | 668 |
Arunachal Pradesh | Block | 129 |
Assam | Block | 239 |
Bihar | Block | 534 |
Chandigarh | Block | 3 |
Chhattisgarh | CD Block | 146 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | CD Block | 3 |
Delhi | CD Block | 342 |
Goa | CD Block | 12 |
Gujarat | CD Block | 250 |
Haryana | Block | 143 |
Himachal Pradesh | CD Block | 88 |
Jammu and Kashmir | CD Block | 287 |
Jharkhand | Block | 264 |
Karnataka | CD Block | 235 |
Kerala | Block | 152 |
Ladakh | CD Block | 31 |
Lakshadweep | CD Block | 10 |
Madhya Pradesh | CD Block | 313 |
Maharashtra | CD Block | 352 |
Manipur | CD Block | 70 |
Meghalaya | CD Block | 54 |
Mizoram | CD Block | 28 |
Nagaland | CD Block | 74 |
Odisha | CD Block | 314 |
Puducherry | CD Block | 6 |
Punjab | CD Block | 153 |
Rajasthan | CD Block | 353 |
Sikkim | CD Block | 33 |
Tamil Nadu | Taluk | 388 |
Telangana | Mandal | 594 |
Tripura | CD Block | 58 |
Uttar Pradesh | CD Block | 826 |
Uttarakhand | CD Block | 95 |
West Bengal | CD Block | 345 |
Panchayat samiti or block panchayat is a rural local government (panchayat) body at the intermediate tehsil (taluka/mandal) or block level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. It has been said to be the "panchayat of panchayats".
Panchayati raj is the system of local self-government of villages in rural India as opposed to urban and suburban municipalities.
A block is an administrative division of some South Asian countries.
Malbazar subdivision is an administrative division of the Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Karandighi is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Islampur subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Dalkhola, Uttar Dinajpur was established in 2005. The school is temporariliy running at Teest Colony, Dalkhola, Uttar Dinajpur. It is adjacent to Primary Health Center, Dalkhola on NH 34. The land for the construction of permanent building has been transferred and construction work is about to start at Village Sima Anandapur of Panchayat Raniganj. The temporary site is about 3.5 Km from Dalkhola Railway Station.
Balurghat subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Dakshin Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Gangarampur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Dakshin Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Raiganj subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Islampur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. This subdivision was earlier a part of Bihar and was transferred to West Bengal with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act in 1956.
Chanchal subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Egra subdivision is a subdivision of the Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Baruipur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Diamond Harbour subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Kakdwip subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Canning subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
A tehsil is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative centre, with possible additional towns, and usually a number of villages. The terms in India have replaced earlier terms, such as pargana (pergunnah) and thana.
Harirampur is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Gangarampur subdivision of Dakshin Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Dhanapur is a block of Chandauli district in Uttar Pradesh in India. It falls under Sakaldiha tehsil region. Dhanapur village is the block headquarters. It is 42 km away from Varanasi. It is well-connected to nearby towns and cities by a network of roads. It is situated within the fertile plains of the region, benefiting from its proximity to the Ganges River basin. This block has total 84 gram panchayat.
Block Pramukh is a term used in India to refer to the elected head of a Panchayat Samiti or Block Panchayat. The Panchayat samiti is a tier of the Panchayati raj system. It is a rural local government body at the Tehsil (block) level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the gram panchayat and the zila parishad. There are a number of variations in the name of this institution in the various states. For example, it is known as Kshetra Panchayat in Uttar Pradesh, Mandal Parishad in Andhra Pradesh, Taluka Panchayat in Gujarat, Block Panchayat in Kerala, and Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka.