entertainment artistes and so on. Infrastructure There are 211 inhabited villages in Giridih CD block. In 2011, 86 villages had power supply. 32 villages had tap water (treated/ untreated), 200 villages had well water (covered/ uncovered), 193 villages had hand pumps, and all villages had drinking water facility. 34 villages had post offices, 15 villages had a sub post office, 12 villages had telephones (land lines) and 81 villages had mobile phone coverage. 205 villages had pucca (paved) village roads, 17 villages had bus service (public/ private), 31 villages had autos/ modified autos, and 81 villages had tractors. 21 villages had bank branches, 9 villages had agricultural credit societies, no village had cinema/ video halls, 1 village had public library and public reading room. 78 villages had public distribution system, 6 villages had weekly haat (market) and 125 villages had assembly polling stations. Agriculture Hills occupy a large portion of Giridih district. The soil is generally rocky and sandy and that helps jungles and bushes to grow. The forest area, forming a large portion of total area, in the district is evenly distributed all over. Some areas near the rivers have alluvial soil. In Giridih CD block, the percentage of cultivable area to total area is 42.31%. The percentage of cultivable area to the total area for the district, as a whole, is 27.04%. Irrigation is inadequate. The percentage of irrigated area to cultivable area in Giridih CD block is 2.63%. May to October is the Kharif season, followed by the Rabi season. Rice, sown in 50% of the gross sown area, is the main crop in the district. Other important crops grown are: maize, wheat, sugar cane, pulses and vegetables. Giridih coalfield Giridih CD block covers a major part of coal mining activity in the district. The East Indian Railway Company started coal mining in Giridih Coalfield in 1871 to meet its own requirements. The oldest coal mine in Chotanagpur, covering an area of 28.47 km2., is located near the town of Giridih. Backward Regions Grant Fund Giridih district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund. The fund created by the Government of India is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 21 districts of Jharkhand. Transport National Highway 114A, running from Rampurhat on