Minakhan is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

[1] Minakhan CD Block is part of the North Bidyadhari Plain, one of the three physiographic regions in the district located in the lower Ganges Delta.

[5] The Sundarbans is a flat lowland susceptible to storm surges along the 260 km shoreline of the Bay of Bengal.

The area is prone to natural calamities such as cyclones, thunderstorms with occasional hail and floods.

[6] In May 2009, the district was hit by high speed cyclone named Aila and subsequent rainfall which continued for two days.

[6] Six CD Blocks of North 24 Parganas are included in the Sundabans area – Hingalganj, Hasnabad, Sandeskhali I and II, Minakhan and Haora.

[7] As per 2011 Census of India Minakhan CD Block had a total population of 199,084, of which 191,973 were rural and 7,111 were urban.

[8] Large villages in Mina Khan CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Uchildaha (6,986), Atpukur (7,717), Mohanpur (12,459), Baukhola (4,690), Debitala (5,744), Bargan Gopalpur (4,065), Kumarjol (7,967), Jaygram (4,962), Taplakushangra (4,738), Bamanpukuria (6,421) and Chaital (11,927).

[8] North 24 Parganas district is densely populated, mainly because of the influx of refugees from East Pakistan (later Bangladesh).

[24] 38.42% of households in Minakhan CD Block lived below poverty line in 2001, against an average of 29.28% in North 24 Parganas district.

[26] In more than 30 percent of the villages in North 24 Parganas, agriculture or household industry is no longer the major source of livelihood for the main workers there.

It includes factory, mining, plantation, transport and office workers, those engaged in business and commerce, teachers, entertainment artistes and so on.

65 villages (93.18%) have telephones (including landlines, public call offices and mobile phones).

[29] The North 24 Parganas district Human Development Report opines that in spite of agricultural productivity in North 24 Parganas district being rather impressive 81.84% of rural population suffered from shortage of food.

With a high urbanisation of 54.3% in 2001, the land use pattern in the district is changing quite fast and the area under cultivation is declining.

In 2010-11, persons engaged in agriculture in Minakhan CD Block could be classified as follows: bargadars 10,011 (15.34%), patta (document) holders 9,963 (15.27%), small farmers (possessing land between 1 and 2 hectares) 3,344 (5.12%), marginal farmers (possessing land up to 1 hectare) 20,808 (31.88%) and agricultural labourers 21,140 (32.39%).

[32] Minakhan CD Block had 46 fertiliser depots, 4 seed stores and no fair price shop in 2010-11.

[32] In 2010-11, the net area under effective pisciculture in Minakhan CD Block was 6,450.46 hectares.

[37] In 2011, Minakhan CD Block had 1 rural hospital and 2 primary health centres, with total 41 beds and 7 doctors (excluding private bodies).

[38] Minakhan block is one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.