a porous border. 2,216 km of the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh border falls in West Bengal. More than 11,000 people live near/ around the zero line in Dakshin Dinajpur. Approximately 252 km of the international border is in Dakshin Dinajpur district. Balurghat CD Block has an area of 369.39 km2.It has 1 panchayat samity, 11 gram panchayats, 174 gram sansads (village councils), 309 mouzas and 294 inhabited villages. Balurghat police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Balurghat. Gram panchayats of Balurghat block/ panchayat samiti are: Amritakhanda, Bhatpara, Boaldar, Bolla, Chakbhrigu, Chingishpur, Danga, Gopalbati, Jalghar and Nazirpur. Demographics Population As per 2011 Census of India, Balurghat CD Block had a total population of 250,764, of which 234,139 were rural and 16,625 were urban. There were 129,254 (52%) males and 121,590 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 24,485. Scheduled Castes numbered 73,716 (29.40%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 66,225 (26.41%). As per 2001 census, Balurghat block has a total population of 228,701, out of which 118,056 were males and 110,645 were females. Balurghat block registered a population growth of 23.49 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the district was 22.11 per cent. Census towns in Balurghat CD Block were (2011 population in brackets): Par Patiram (3,225), Dakra (5,268) and Chak Bhrigu (6,269). The only outgrowth in Balurghat CD Block was (2011 population in brackets): Baidyanathpara (1,863). The only large village (with 4,000+ population) in Balurghat CD Block was (2011 population in brackets): Khidirpur (5,419). Other villages in Balurghat CD Block included (2011 population in brackets): Boaldar (1,679), Bolla (2,836), Jalghar (2,310), Dangi (2,041), Bhatpara (917), Nazirpur (1,175), Gopalbati (959), Amritakhanda (2,863) and Chingispur (2,297). Decadal growth of population in Balurghat CD Block for the period 2001-2011 was 8.82%. Decadal growth of population in Dakhin Dinajpur district during the same period was 11.52% down from 22.15% in the previous decade. Decadal growth of population in West Bengal for the corresponding periods was 13.93% and 17.77% respectively. The large scale migration of the East Bengali refugees (including tribals) started with the partition of Bengal in 1947. Up to around 1951, two-fifths of the refugees settled in South Bengal, the balance settled in the North Bengal districts of West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. Erstwhile West Dinajpur alone received around 6.5% of the early entrants. The steady flow of people into Dakshin Dinajpur has continued over the