information about the areas covered. In 2011 census Hindus numbered 176,478 and formed 81.04% of the population in Tamluk CD Block. Muslims numbered 40,977 and formed 18.81% of the population. Others numbered 321 and formed 0.15% of the population. Rural poverty The District Human Development Report for Purba Medinipur has provided a CD Block-wise data table for Modified Human Poverty Index of the district. Tamluk CD Block registered 24.38 on the MHPI scale. The CD Block-wise mean MHPI was estimated at 24.9. Eleven out of twentyfive CD Blocks were found to be severely deprived in respect of grand CD Block average value of MHPI (CD Blocks with lower amount of poverty are better): All the CD Blocks of Haldia and Contai subdivisions appeared backward, except Ramnagar I & II, of all the blocks of Egra subdivision only Bhagabanpur I appeared backward and in Tamluk subdivision none appeared backward. Economy Livelihood In Tamluk CD Block in 2011, total workers formed 40.43% of the total population and amongst the class of total workers, cultivators formed 17.91%, agricultural labourers 35.66%, household industry workers 9.31% and other workers 37.11%. Infrastructure There are 99 inhabited villages in Tamluk CD block. All 99 villages (100%) have power supply. 98 villages (98.99%) have drinking water supply. 20 villages (20.2%) have post offices. 96 villages (96.97%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones). 24 villages (24.24%) have a pucca (paved) approach road and 40 villages (40.40%) have transport communication (includes bus service, rail facility and navigable waterways). 31 villages (31.31%) have agricultural credit societies. 9 villages (9.09%) have banks. In 2007-08, around 40% of rural households in the district had electricity. In 2013-14, there were 32 fertiliser depots, 24 seed stores and 33 fair price shops in the CD Block. Agriculture According to the District Human Development Report of Purba Medinipur: The agricultural sector is the lifeline of a predominantly rural economy. It is largely dependent on the Low Capacity Deep Tubewells (around 50%) or High Capacity Deep Tubewells (around 27%) for irrigation, as the district does not have a good network of canals, compared to some of the neighbouring districts. In many cases the canals are drainage canals which get the backflow of river water at times of high tide or the rainy season. The average size of land holding in Purba Medinipur, in 2005-06, was 0.73 hectares against 1.01 hectares in West Bengal.