Akola district

Summary

Akola district (Marathi pronunciation: [əkolaː]) is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city of Akola is the district headquarters. Akola district forms the central part of Amravati Division, which was the former British Raj Berar Province.

Akola district
Top: Narnala Fort, Akola
Bottom: Grassland near Akola
Location in Maharashtra
Location in Maharashtra
Map
Akola district
Country India
StateMaharashtra
DivisionAmravati
HeadquartersAkola
Tehsils7
Government
 • BodyAkola Zilla Parishad
 • Guardian MinisterRadhakrishna Vikhe Patil
Cabinet Minister
 • President Zilla Parishad
  • President
    Mrs. Pratibhatai Bapurao Bhojane
  • Vice President
    Mrs. Savitribai Hirasingh Rathod
 • District Collector
  • Smt. Nima Arora (IAS)
 • CEO Zilla Parishad
  • Mr. Saurabh Katiyar (IAS)
 • MPs
Area
 • Total5,428 km2 (2,096 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total1,813,906
 • Density330/km2 (870/sq mi)
 • Urban
44.04%
Demographics
 • Literacy88.05%
 • Sex ratio946
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationMH 30
Major highwaysAH-46, NH-53, NH-161, NH-161A, NH-161G, NH-161E, NH-361C, NH-548C, MSH-24, SH-197, SH-204, SH-200, SH-194, SH-195, SH-198, SH-199, SH-201, SH-212
Average annual precipitation750 mm
Websiteakola.gov.in

Area of the district is 5,428 km2. It is bounded on the north and east by Amravati District, to the south by Washim District, and to the west by Buldhana District. Washim was earlier a part of Akola till 1999. Akola district includes seven talukas which are Akola, Akot, Telhara, Balapur, Barshitakli, Murtijapur and Patur.

Officer edit

Members of Parliament edit

Guardian Minister edit

Guardian Minister Akola
पालकमंत्री अकोला
 
Emblem of India
Incumbent
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil
Cabinet Minister
since 04 October 2023
StyleThe Honourable
ResidenceMumbai Sagar Bangla
AppointerChief Minister of Maharashtra
Term length5 years / No time limit
Websiteakola.gov.in/en/

List of Guardian Minister edit

Name Term of office
Dr. Ranjit Patil
Minister of State
2014-2019
Omprakash Babarao Kadu
Minister of State
9 January 2020 - 27 June 2022
Amit Deshmukh
Cabinet Minister
Additional charge
27 June 2022 - 29 June 2022
Devendra Fadnavis
Deputy Chief Minister
27 September 2022 - 04 October 2023
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil
Cabinet Minister
04 October 2023 - Incumbent

District Magistrate/Collector edit

District Magistrate / Collector Akola
जिल्हाधिकारी तथा जिल्हदंडाधिकरी अकोला
 
Emblem of India
Incumbent
Smt. Nima Arora (IAS)
since 2021
ResidenceAt Akola district
AppointerGovernment of Maharashtra
Term lengthNo time limit
Websiteakola.gov.in/en/

list of District Magistrate / Collector edit

Name Term of office
Smt. Nima Arora (IAS) 2021 - Incumbent

History edit

The Battle of Adgaon Bk village is located in Telhara Tehsil, took place on 28 November 1803, between the British under the command of Governor Arthur Wellesley and the forces of Maratha under Bhonsle of Nagpur during Second Anglo-Maratha War.

Many old forts are located in Akola District viz.

Geography edit

Akola district lies in the northern plains of the Deccan Plateau. Akola district covers mostly plain topology with isolated hills and mounds except for the mountain ranges of Ajintha (Ajanta), located in the Southern tehsils of Patur and Barshi Takli, and the Satpuda mountain range that occupies some areas in the Northern tehsils of Akot and Telhara. The elevation profile of the district falls sharply as we proceed towards the central region from the North and then rises steadily as we head to the South from the centre. Highest point in the District is located within the premises of the hill-fort of Narnala measuring 932m above sea level.

Rivers and lakes edit

The Purna River forms the part of north boundary of the district, and the top north portion of the district lies within its watershed along with Aas River and Shahnur River. The Vaan River forms the part of northwest boundary of the district after entering from the Amravati district.

The Mun River drains the southwestern portion of the district, Morna River drains the midsouth portion of the district, while the southeast is drained by the Katepurna River and Uma River.

Here are some of the rivers in Akola, with their tributaries

Prominent persons edit

Climate edit

Akola district shows a little variation in its climate along the north–south direction. Akola district mainly features Tropical Savannah Climate. But the Northern parts of the district consisting of hills and mountains that are raised to about 950 to 1000 meters shows a subtropical climate featuring cool winters. The summers are extremely hot while the winters are dry and mild to cool as the temperature may drop to or below 2 °C. The district has recorded a minimum temperature of 2 °C while a maximum of 47.7 °C. Akola has recorded a minimum temperature of 11.9 °C in the month of May which is considered to be the hottest month in the state of Maharashtra.

Climate data for Akola
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.9
(85.8)
33.2
(91.8)
37.2
(99.0)
40.7
(105.3)
46.7
(116.1)
37.4
(99.3)
32.0
(89.6)
30.5
(86.9)
32.1
(89.8)
38.8
(101.8)
31.5
(88.7)
29.4
(84.9)
34.2
(93.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 13.5
(56.3)
15.7
(60.3)
20.0
(68.0)
24.8
(76.6)
28.0
(82.4)
26.1
(79.0)
24.1
(75.4)
23.4
(74.1)
23.0
(73.4)
20.1
(68.2)
15.9
(60.6)
13.2
(55.8)
20.7
(69.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 7.8
(0.31)
4.5
(0.18)
11.0
(0.43)
5.1
(0.20)
6.6
(0.26)
146.3
(5.76)
210.7
(8.30)
199.7
(7.86)
122.0
(4.80)
45.4
(1.79)
19.5
(0.77)
14.2
(0.56)
792.8
(31.21)
Source: IMD

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901444,653—    
1911464,741+0.44%
1921469,947+0.11%
1931518,143+0.98%
1941536,696+0.35%
1951562,268+0.47%
1961716,333+2.45%
1971904,204+2.36%
19811,118,267+2.15%
19911,351,507+1.91%
20011,629,633+1.89%
20111,813,906+1.08%
source:[1]

According to the 2011 census Akola district has a population of 1,813,906,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo[3] or the US state of Nebraska.[4] This gives it a ranking of 262nd in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 321 inhabitants per square kilometre (830/sq mi).[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.6%.[2] Akola has a sex ratio of 942 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 88.05%. 39.68% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 20.07% and 5.53% of the population respectively.[2]

Religion edit

Religions in Akola district (2011)[5]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
61.07%
Islam
19.70%
Buddhism
18.08%
Jainism
0.56%
Other or not stated
0.59%

Hindus are the majority religion. Muslims and Buddhists are both substantial minorities with nearly equal populations. Muslims are mainly urban while Buddhists are mainly rural.

Taluka Name[5] Hindu Muslim Buddhist Jain Other
Telhara 66.14 17.72 15.60 0.10 0.44
Akot 67.27 19.18 13.00 0.15 0.40
Balapur 50.45 26.46 21.70 0.31 1.08
Akola 58.51 21.32 18.50 1.01 0.66
Murtijapur 59.90 15.59 23.50 0.43 0.58
Patur 65.10 16.38 17.80 0.26 0.46
Barshitakli 68.34 14.20 16.80 0.32 0.34

Languages edit

Languages in Akola district (2011)[6]

  Marathi (70.39%)
  Urdu (17.33%)
  Hindi (6.30%)
  Lambadi (2.04%)
  Marwari (0.93%)
  Others (3.01%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 70.39% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 17.33% Urdu, 6.30% Hindi, 2.04% Lambadi and 0.93% Marwari as their first language.[6]

Varhadi dialect of Marathi is the main spoken language of Akola district. Deccani Urdu is popular among the Muslim community.[6]

Subdivisions edit

Akola District consists of talukas namely Akot, Telhara, Akola, Balapur, Patur, Barshitakli and Murtajapur.

Transport edit

Important railway stations with their codes are Paras, Gaigaon, Akola Junction (AK), Murtijapur Junction (MZR) and are under Bhusawal-Badnera Section of Bhusawal Railway Division of Central Railway.

The other stations under meter gauge are Hiwarkhed, Adgaon Buzurg (ABZ), Akot (AKOT), Patsul (PTZ), Ugwe (UGWE), Akola Junction, Shivani Shivpur (SVW), Barshitakli (BSQ), Lohogad (LHD), Amna Vadi (AMW), Jaulka (JUK) are under Purna - Khandwa Section of South Central Railway.

The stations under narrow gauge are Lakhpuri, Murtajapur Junction, Karanja under two Narrow Gauge Branch lines viz Murtajapur-Achalpur and Murtajapur-Yavatmal of Bhusawal Railway Division of Central Railway.

Economy edit

Cotton and Jawar are the predominant crops grown in the district. Oil and Dal mills are also rampant. The economy is mostly agriculture based. Nowadays, soybean crop is an important crop as major soybean plants have come up in the area.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  2. ^ a b c d e f "District Census Hand Book – Akola" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  3. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Kosovo 1,825,632 July 2011 est. I
  4. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Nebraska 1,826,341
  5. ^ a b "Population by Religion - Maharashtra". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Maharashtra". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

External links edit

  • Akola district official website

20°30′N 77°10′E / 20.500°N 77.167°E / 20.500; 77.167