List of districts of West Bengal

{{main|Geography of West Bengal}}

File:Sunrise_from_Sandakphu_(8652110340).jpg highest point of West Bengal]]

File:Mandarmani_Beach_Sunset.jpg sea beach located in East Medinipur district]]

File:Ajodhya_Hills_in_Purulia_district_07.jpg located in Purulia district]]

File:End_of_Winter._New_plantation._Paddy_field._Sunset_(16527970625).jpg of Nadia district]]

File:Sundarban_National_Park,_a_Tiger_Reserve_mangrove_forest_in_West_Bengal_05.jpg mangrove region of South 24 Parganas district]]

File:Adina_Mosque_at_Malda_district_of_West_Bengal_08.jpg at Malda district]]

File:Victoria_Memorial_Kolkata_at_night.jpg, capital region of West Bengal]]

File:Rasmancha_at_Bishnupur,_WB.jpg rasmancha temple of Bankura district]]

File:Kathgola_Palace_at_Murshidabad_district.jpg of Murshidabad district]]

File:Cooch_Behar_Palace_alias_Victor_Jubilee_Palace_of_Cooch_Behar_Town_at_Cooch_Behar_district_in_West_Bengal_01.jpg at Cooch behar district]]

File:Chandannagar_-_Gala_Kuthi_-_Ruplal_Nundy_Memorial_Cancer_Research_Centre.jpg, former French colony at Hooghly district]]

West Bengal is bordered by three countries: Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh; and five Indian states: Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Assam. Sikkim and Bhutan are located to the north of the state, Nepal to the northwest, Bihar and Jharkhand in the west, Odisha in the southwest, the Bay of Bengal to the south, and Bangladesh and Assam are in the east. West Bengal is the only state of India that has both snowy mountains (Himalayas in the north) and sea beaches (on the coast of the Bay of Bengal in the south). In between them, the river Ganga enters the state from west, before it branches off into its main distributaries: the Hooghly River, which flows southwards to reach the Bay of Bengal, and the Padma River, which flows eastwards into Bangladesh.

The districts that are located at the north of the Ganga—Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Alipurduar and Kalimpong — are often referred to collectively as North Bengal. Kalimpong is a newly added district of West Bengal.{{cite web | url = http://www.swhydro.arizona.edu/07symposium/presentationpdf/ChristianaD_pro.pdf | title = Arsenic Mitigation in West Bengal, India: New Hope for Millions | author = David Christiana | publisher = Southwest Hydrology | page = 32 | date = 1 September 2007 | access-date = 20 December 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305124232/http://www.swhydro.arizona.edu/07symposium/presentationpdf/ChristianaD_pro.pdf | archive-date = 5 March 2016 | url-status = dead }} Geographically, this area is divided into the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Terai and Dooars region, and the North Bengal plains. The Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck, which connects North-East India with rest of the India, lies in this region. The Indo-Bangladesh enclaves are either enclaves or exclaves of the Cooch Behar district or the Jalpaiguri district.{{cite web | url = http://www.vinokurov.info/downloads/ch6enclavecasestudies.pdf | title = Theory of Enclaves, Chapter 6: Enclave stories and case studies | author = Evgeny Vinokurov | publisher = Evgeny Vinokurov's website | year = 2005 | page = 17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070727184014/http://www.vinokurov.info/downloads/ch6enclavecasestudies.pdf |archive-date = 27 July 2007 | access-date = 20 December 2008}}

The districts on the south of the Ganges—Bankura, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum, Purulia, Murshidabad, Nadia, West Midnapore, Jhargram, East Midnapore, Hooghly, Howrah, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas—constitute a variety of geographical regions such as the Rarh region, the Western plateau and high lands, the coastal plains, the Sunderbans and the Ganga Delta. Kolkata, the capital of the state, constitutes the Kolkata district.

The uninhabited South Talpatti Island, which surfaced in the Bay of Bengal in the 1970s near the Indo-Bangladesh border, is claimed by both India and Bangladesh.{{cite web | url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1817/18170730.htm | title = Of Indo-Bangladesh distrust | author = A.G. Noorani | publisher = Frontline magazine | date = 31 August 2001 | access-date = 29 December 2008 | url-status = usurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326124740/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1817/18170730.htm | archive-date = 26 March 2009 | df = dmy-all }}

After India gained independence in 1947, the province of Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. The western part remained in India (and was named West Bengal) while the eastern part joined newly formed Pakistan as a province called East Pakistan (later giving rise to Bangladesh in 1971).{{cite book |last=Harun-or-Rashid |year=2012 |chapter=Partition of Bengal, 1947 |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Partition_of_Bengal,_1947 |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh}} At the time of its creation in 1947, the state of West Bengal was divided into 14 districts—Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Calcutta (Kolkata), Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly, Howrah, Malda, Midnapore, Murshidabad, Nadia, West Dinajpur and 24 Parganas.{{cite book

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FjQ0iWSq2R0C&q=bengal+1947+district&pg=PR6

|title = The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967

|last = Chatterji

|first = Joya

|publisher = Cambridge University Press

|year = 2007

|isbn = 978-0-521-87536-3

|access-date = 8 December 2008

|page = 58

}} Cooch Behar district was a princely state named Koch Bihar till 20 August 1949, when the state formally agreed to join India. Transfer of administration was started on 12 September 1949 and was completed on 19 January 1950, when Cooch Behar became a district of West Bengal.{{cite web

|url = http://coochbehar.gov.in/HTMfiles/brief_history.html

|title = Brief History of Cooch Behar

|publisher = Official website of Cooch Behar District

|access-date = 10 September 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724080258/http://www.coochbehar.gov.in/Htmfiles/brief_history.html

|archive-date = 24 July 2011

|url-status = dead

}} Chandannagar, which was earlier part of the French India, had voted to join India in a plebiscite in 1949. Formally, it joined India in 1952 and finally became a part of the Hooghly district of West Bengal on 2 October 1954.{{cite web

|url = http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html

|title = States of India since 1947

|publisher = World Statesmen website

|access-date = 7 November 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080618002451/http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html |archive-date = 18 June 2008}} The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised boundaries of the Indian states along linguistic lines. As this act was implemented, the then West Dinajpur district was enlarged with the addition of some areas from Bihar, and the Purulia district was formed on 1 November 1956 from parts of the Manbhum district of Bihar.{{cite web

|url = http://purulia.gov.in/district_profile/dist_profile.html

|title = District profile

|publisher = Official website of Purulia District

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091209215309/http://purulia.gov.in/district_profile/dist_profile.html

|archive-date = 9 December 2009

|access-date = 18 November 2008

}}

Later, some large districts were divided into smaller districts. On 1 March 1986, the district of 24 Parganas was bifurcated into two districts—the North 24 Parganas district and the South 24 Parganas district.{{cite book

|last = Mandal

|first = Asim Kumar

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jbKGojVTWGcC&q=24+parganas+history+divide+two+district&pg=PA168

|title = The Sundarbans of India: A Development Analysis

|publisher = Indus Publishing

|pages = 168–169

|isbn = 81-7387-143-4

|year = 2003

|access-date = 4 September 2008

}} On 1 April 1992, the West Dinajpur district was bifurcated into the Uttar Dinajpur district and the Dakshin Dinajpur district.{{cite web

|url = http://uttardinajpur.nic.in/

|title = Home page

|publisher = Official website of Uttar Dinajpur District

|access-date = 1 September 2008

}}{{cite web

|url = http://ddinajpur.nic.in/Historical_Perspective/historical_perspective.html

|title = Historical Perspective

|publisher = Official website of South Dinajpur District

|access-date = 1 September 2008

}} On 1 January 2002, the erstwhile Midnapore district was bifurcated into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.{{cite web

|last = Jana

|first = Naresh

|date = 31 December 2001

|url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011231/national.htm#head3

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040813170439/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011231/national.htm#head3

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = 13 August 2004

|title = Tamluk readies for giant's partition

|publisher = The Telegraph (Kolkata)

|access-date = 1 September 2008

}}

Since 2007, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has been revived by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and its supporters in the Darjeeling hills.{{cite web

|url = http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Top-Story/Call-for-Gorkhaland-renewed.html

|title = Call for Gorkhaland renewed

|date = 7 October 2007

|publisher = Darjeeling Times

|access-date = 11 December 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081222214506/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Top-Story/Call-for-Gorkhaland-renewed.html

|archive-date = 22 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|df = dmy-all

}} The Kamtapur People's Party and its supporters' movement for a separate Kamtapur state that covers the North Bengal has also gained momentum in the 2000s.{{cite web

|url = http://www.aol.in/news-story/west-bengal-faces-another-blockade-this-time-for-kamtapur-state/2008062513039012000006/index.html

|title = West Bengal faces another blockade, this time for Kamtapur state

|author = Indo Asian News Service

|date = 25 June 2008

|publisher = AOL India News

|access-date = 11 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090329064637/http://www.aol.in/news-story/west-bengal-faces-another-blockade-this-time-for-kamtapur-state/2008062513039012000006/index.html

|archive-date = 29 March 2009

|df = dmy-all

}}

{{see also|Administrative divisions of West Bengal}}

File:Divisions of West Bengal.svg

A district is governed by a District Collector, who is better known as a District Magistrate (DM) in the state of West Bengal.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/2.htm

|title = Section 2 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} A DM is an officer from either Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS), and is appointed by the State Government of West Bengal. Each district is divided into subdivisions, except the Kolkata district, which contains urban area only, administered by Kolkata Municipal Corporation. A subdivision is governed by a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), better known as a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).{{cite book

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nvzcy7o4sgAC&q=collector+SDO+BDO&pg=PA298

|title = Indian Public Administration: Institutions and Issues

|page = 298

|author = Ramesh Kumar Arora, Ramesh Kumar Arora Rajni Goyal

|year = 1995

|publisher = New Age Publishers

|isbn = 81-7328-068-1

|access-date = 9 December 2008

}} Other than urban units such as town municipalities, a subdivision contains 'community development blocks' (also known as CD blocks or blocks or Tehsil or Taluka). A block consists of urban units such as census towns and rural units called gram panchayats. A block is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO),who is similar as Tehsildar and who is appointed by the Government of West Bengal.

A gram panchayat, which consists of a group of villages, is administered by a village council headed by a Pradhan.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/9.htm

|title = Section 9 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410074155/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/9.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} As per the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973, each Block has a Panchayat Samiti, whose members include the Pradhans of the constituent gram panchayats, and the MLAs from the block.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/94.htm

|title = Section 94 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410081527/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/94.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} A Panchayat Samiti is headed by a Sabhapati.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/98.htm

|title = Section 98 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410091602/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/98.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} The third tier of the Panchayati Raj is Zilla Parishad, a district level organisation with the Sabhapatis of the constituent Panchayat Samitis and the MLAs from the district as its members.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/140.htm

|title = Section 140 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410092140/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/140.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} A Zilla Parishad is headed by a Sabhadhipati.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/143.htm

|title = Section 143 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410085518/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/143.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} For the Darjeeling district, the Zilla Parishad has ceased to exist, but a similar organisation for the Siliguri subdivision exists, which is designated as a Mahakuma Parishad.{{cite web

|url = http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/185.htm

|title = Section 185 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973

|publisher = Department of Panchayat and Rural Department, West Bengal

|access-date = 9 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090410091113/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/g2csw/sections/185.htm

|archive-date = 10 April 2009

|df = dmy-all

}}

The Gorkha Hill Council, formed in 1988, administers three (out of four) subdivisions of the Darjeeling district: Darjeeling Sadar, Kalimpong and Kurseong.

{{cite web

|url = http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html

|title = Memoranda of Settlement – DGHC

|publisher = Darjeeling Times

|access-date = 11 December 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090329055451/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html

|archive-date = 29 March 2009

|url-status = dead

|df = dmy-all

}}

Gorkha Hill Council manages the departments of Public Health, Education, Public Works, Transport, Tourism, Market, Small scale industries, Agriculture, Agricultural waterways, Forest (except reserved forests), Water, Livestock, Vocational Training and Sports and Youth services.{{cite web

|url = http://darjeeling.gov.in/darj-hist.html#drj-today

|title = History of Darjeeling: Darjeeling-Today

|publisher = Official website of Darjeeling District

|access-date = 29 December 2008

}} District administration of Darjeeling, which is still responsible for election, panchayat, law and order, revenue etc., also acts as an interface between the Council and the State Government.

A District Superintendent of Police, better known as a Superintendent of Police, heads the District Police organisation of West Bengal Police. This is as per the Police Act of 1861, which is applicable to the whole of India.{{cite web

|url = http://indiacode.nic.in/fullact1.asp?tfnm=186105

|title = The Police Act, 1861

|publisher = India Code Legislative Department

|access-date = 14 December 2008

}} The Superintendents of Police are officers of the Indian Police Service.{{cite web

|url=http://persmin.nic.in/ais/B11new.htm#s17

|title=Indian Police Service (Uniform) Rules

|publisher=Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410111230/http://persmin.nic.in/ais/B11new.htm

|archive-date=10 April 2009

|access-date=14 December 2008

|url-status=dead

}} For every subdivision, there is a Subdivision Police, headed by a Police officer of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police.{{cite web

|url = http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/police/police_organisations.pdf

|title = Police Organisation of India

|publisher = Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

|page = 9

|access-date = 14 December 2008

}} Under subdivisions, there are Police Circles, each headed by an Inspector of Police. A Police Circle consists of Police Stations, each headed by an Inspector of Police, or in case of rural areas, by a Sub-Inspector of Police.

The Calcutta High Court has the jurisdiction of the state of West Bengal. Though most of the districts have more courts other than a District Court, not every subdivision of the state has a Court.{{cite web

|url = http://www.banglarmukh.com/e-gov/English/Departments/DeptDetails.asp?DPId=140&LinkId=6&Type=1

|title = Different Courts in West Bengal (Other than High Courts, Kolkata)

|publisher = Judicial Department, Government of West Bengal

|access-date = 14 December 2008

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326011120/http://www.banglarmukh.com/e-gov/English/Departments/DeptDetails.asp?DPId=140&LinkId=6&Type=1

|archive-date = 26 March 2009

|df = dmy-all

}}

A group of districts forms a division, which is administered by a 'Divisional Commissioner'. West Bengal is now divided in twenty three districts, grouped under five divisions:{{cite web

|url=http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs(RevisedMarch-2008).doc

|title=Directory of District, Sub division, Panchayat Samiti/ Block and Gram Panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008

|date=19 March 2008

|access-date=19 November 2008

|work=West Bengal

|publisher=National Informatics Centre, India

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225032419/http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs%28RevisedMarch-2008%29.doc

|archive-date=25 February 2009

}}

;This is a alphabetical list of West Bengal districts-

The following is a list of the basic demographic data for the districts of West Bengal at the time of the 2011 census by their population rank in India{{cite web|title=Indian Districts by Population, Growth Rate, Sex Ratio 2011 Census |url=http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php|publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|access-date=6 April 2013}}

The following is a list of basic economic data for the districts of West Bengal as of 2023–2024, the latest year for which data is available:{{Cite web|url=http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/SiteFiles/Publications/2_09052017100008.pdf|title=State Domestic Product and District Domestic Product of West Bengal 2014–15|last=Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal|date=6 May 2016}}

The West Bengal cabinet has approved the creation of seven new districts on 1 August 2022. This will number district from 23 to 30.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-01 |title=Explained: 7 new districts in West Bengal — how and why are districts created or abolished in India? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/explained-7-new-districts-west-bengal-districts-created-abolished-8064221/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

New Sundarban District from existing South 24 Parganas District, new Ichhamati District and Basirhat District from existing North 24 Parganas District. New Ranaghat District from existing Nadia District and Bishnupur District from existing Bankura district. While new Jangipur District and Berhampore district from existing Murshidabad District will be carved out.

• Divisions of West Bengal
• List of subdivisions of West Bengal
• Administrative divisions of West Bengal
• List of cities in West Bengal by population
• List of RTO districts in West Bengal
• List of constituencies of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
• :Category:Community development blocks in West Bengal
• :Category:Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal

{{Reflist}}

• [https://wb.gov.in/ Official website of Government of West Bengal]
• [https://www.sarkariways.com/2023/08/west-bengal-districts-list-2023.html New Districts List of West Bengal]

{{Districts of India}}

{{West Bengal topics}}

{{featured list}}

Districts

West Bengal