of the Odisha state from 1 April 1937 to 18 July 1937. He was the Prime Minister of Odisha for the second time from 24 November 1941 to 30 June 1944. Geography Gajapati district located at the south-east of Odisha between longitude 84° 32'E and 83° 47'E and latitude 18° 44'N and 19° 39'N. The Mahendratanaya River flows through it. The district borders with Andhra Pradesh in the south, District of Rayagada to west, District of Ganjam to East and District of Kandhamala to the North. The district is located on a hilly terrain of Eastern Ghats. The mountain Mahendragiri, a segment of Eastern Ghats is situated in this district. The climate is subtropical with high humidity. Summer season is between March to mid-June and is extremely hot with the temperature reaching 46 °C. Winter season is mild and temperature can fall lowest to 9 °C November to February. The rainy season lasts between mid-June to mid-October and it receives approximately 1000 mm of rainfall primarily from the southwest monsoons. Administration Gajapati District is sparsely populated and hence consists of only one subdivision, Paralakhemundi. The district is further divided into seven Blocks. Gumma Kashinagar Mohana Nuagada Goshani R.Udayagiri Rayagada There are 149 Gram Panchayats consisting of 1,534 inhabited villages in the district. The town Paralakhemundi is the District Headquarters and also the largest town of the Gajapati district. Kashinagara is the second largest town of Gajapati district. Economy In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Gajapati one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 19 districts in odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Demographics According to the 2011 census Gajapati district has a population of 577,817, approximate equal to the nation of Cape Verde or the US state of Wyoming. This gives it a ranking of 533rd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 10.99%. Gajapati has a sex ratio of 1042 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 54.29%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 6.78% and 54.29% of the population respectively. Language At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 41.51% of the population in the district spoke Odia, 34.49% Sora, 15.53% Telugu, 5.54% Kui and 1.25%