Manda Upazila HQ

 township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Manda Upazila (Naogaon district) with an area of 375.94 sq km, is bounded by Mahadevpur upazila on the north, Bagmara and Mohanpur upazilas on the south, Naogaon sadar, Raninagar and Atrai upazilas on the east, Niamatpur and Tanore upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Atrai, Shiba and Fakirni.

The location of Manda town is 24.7691108N 88.703793E. Manda (Town) consists of 2 mouzas. The area of the town is 1.5 sq km. The town has a population of 1442; male 51.8%, female 48.2%; density of population is 961 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 32%. It has a dakbungalow and a rest house.

Manda thana was turned into an upazila in 1943. It consists of 14 union parishads, 299 mouzas and 286 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics: Six-domed Kushumba Shahi Mosque (1558).

Religious institutions Mosque 922, temple 21, pilgrimage 1, church 2.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 330995; male 50.56%, female 49.44%; Muslim 88%, Hindu 10%, Buddhist 0.33%, Christian 0.37% and Ethnic 1.30%; ethnic nationals: Santal, Banua, Koch and Rajbanshi.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 24.3%; male 33.5% and female 15%. Educational institutions: college 6, high school 40, government primary school 99, non-government primary school 66, community school 4, satellite school 11, technical college 2, kindergarten 1, NGO operated school 70. Noted institutions are Pajor Bhanga Primary School (1901), Manda Pilot High School (1914).

Main occupations Agriculture 52.67%, livestock 1.19%, fishing 2.57%, agricultural labourer 25.88%, wage labourer 2.18%, commerce 7.19%, service 1.91%, others 6.41%.

Land use Cultivable land 28725 hectares; single crop 23.42%, double crop 47.4% and triple crop land 29.18%; land under irrigation 71%.

Land control Among the peasants 26 are landless, 16 marginal, 18% small, 29% medium and 11% rich; cultivable land per head is 0.09 hectare.

Fishery, poultry and dairies Fishery 4, hatchery 3, poultry 92, dairy 78.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 42 km, semi pucca 38 km and mud road 237 km; waterways 14 nautical mile.

Cottage industries Bamboo work 265, goldsmith 37, potteries 383, blacksmith 67, tailoring 350, welding 17, rice mill 57.

NGO activities Operationally important ngOs are ccdb, brac, asa, grameen bank, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha, Aahid, CAP, Abash Society, Family Welfare.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 14, satellite clinic 2.