25 CD Blocks in the district. The major rivers are Haldi, Rupnarayan, Rasulpur, Bagui and Keleghai, flowing in north to south or south-east direction. River water is an important source of irrigation. The district has a low 899 hectare forest cover, which is 0.02% of its geographical area. Nandigram is located at . Nandigram I CD Block is bounded by Haldia CD Block, across the Haldi in the north, Kakdwip and Sagar CD Blocks, both in South 24 Parganas district, across the Hooghly estuary, in the east, Khejuri I and Khejuri II CD Blocks in the south and Nandigram II CD Block in the west. It is located 40 km from Tamluk, the district headquarters. Nandigram I CD Block has an area of 181.84 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 10 gram panchayats, 140 gram sansads (village councils), 99 mouzas and 98 inhabited villages. Nandigram police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Nandigram. Gram panchayats of Nandigram I block/ panchayat samiti are: Bhekutia, Daudpur, Gokulnagar, Haripur, Kalicharanpur, Kendemarijalpai, Mahammadpur, Nandigram, Samsabad and Sonachura. Demographics Population As per the 2011 Census of India Nandigram I CD Block had a total population of 207,835, of which 202,032 were rural and 5,803 were urban. There were 106,827 (51%) males and 101,008 (49%) females. Population below 6 years was 28,384. Scheduled Castes numbered 38,619 (18.58%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 139 (0.07%). As per the 2001 census, Nandigram I block had a total population of 174,665, out of which 88,963 were males and 85,702 were females. Nandigram I block registered a population growth of 18.18 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the combined Midnapore district was 14.87 per cent. Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent. Census Town in Nandigram I CD Block (2011 census population figure in brackets): Nandigram (5,803). Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Nandigram I CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Mahammadpur (6,322), Kenda Mari Jalpai (7,604), Gar Chakraberya (4,274), Samsabad (8,279), Haripur (4,400), Naynan (4,277), Daudpur (6,132), Amgechhya (5,333), Gokul Nagar (7,213), Jalpai Part VII (7,369), Kalicharanpur (9,257), Gangra (4,719) and Sona Chura (5,736). Other villages in Nandigram I CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Bhekutya (3,352). Literacy As per 2011 census the total number of literates in Nandigram I CD Block was 152,339 (85.89% of the population over 6 years) out of which 81,810 (54%) were males