199,210, of which 183,987 were rural and 15,223 were urban. There were 103,144 (52%) males and 96,066 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 22,061. Scheduled Castes numbered 11,239 (5.64%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 246 (0.12%). As per 2001 census, Sahid Matangini block had a total population of 176,219, out of which 90,888 were males and 85,331 were females. Sahid Matangini block registered a population growth of 13.87 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 Towns in Sahid Matangini CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Kakdihi (5,477) and Shantipur (9,746). Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Sahid Matangini CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Baragechhe (4,981), Chatara (4,868), Kharui (7,343), Gathra (4,348), Saira (4,122), Alinan (4,339), Balarampur (4,350), Janu Basan (5,363), Mahisda (4,279) and Uttar Dhalhara (7,150). Other villages in Sahid Matangini CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Ballok (3,565), Kakharda (2,930) and Raghunathpur (2,079). Literacy As per 2011 census the total number of literates in Sahid Matangini CD Block was 154,093 (86.99% of the population over 6 years) out of which 85,093 (55%) were males and 69,000 (45%) were females. As per 2011 census, literacy in Purba Medinipur district was 87.02%. Purba Medinipur had the highest literacy amongst all the districts of West Bengal in 2011. See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate Language and religion As per the 2001 census, Bengali was the mother-tongue of 90.5% of the population of Purba Medinipur district, followed by Santali (4.6%), Hindi (1.4%), Kurmali Thar (0.7%), Urdu (0.6%), Telugu (0.6%), Odiya (0.4%), Mundari (0.2%), Koda/ Kora (0.1%), Munda (0.1%), Nepali (0.1%) and others (0.3%). Census information about language is available at the district level or above only. The West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2012, included Hindi, Santhali, Odiya and Punjabi as official languages if it is spoken by a population exceeding 10 per cent of the whole in a particular block or sub-division or a district. Subsequently, Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi and Kurmali were also included in the list of minority languages by the West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018. However, as of 2019, there is no official / other reliable information about the areas covered. In 2011 census Hindus numbered 168,642 and formed 84.66% of the population in Sahid Matangini CD