Cuttack
District is one of the oldest Districts of Odisha.It is an important city and District headquarters.Cuttack, which lends its name to the District, is known as the business capital of Odisha.The word Cuttack derives its name from the anglicized sanskrit word Kataka, which has two meanings-one being military camp and the other being the seat of government, protected by the army.Literally, it also means the fort, referring to the ancient Barabati Fort, around which the city developed.This city takes pride in the fact that it had been the capital of Odisha, before its shifting to Bhubaneswar, the new capital.
Geographically, it is located at a latitude of 20 degree 03″ to 20 degree 40″ N and a longitude of 84 degree 58” to 86 degree 20″ E. Cuttack city is flanked by Mahanadi river on the north and Kathajodi river on the south. Covering a geographical area of 3932 sq kms, the District is highly populated. The District experiences tropical climate, with the summer being hot and the winter cold. The maximum temperature that this District experiences is well above 40 degree Celsius (during summer) and the minimum is as low as 10 deg C (during winter). Summer generally lasts from March to June and winter, from October to February. Rainfall is generally heavy during the monsoons, which occur during the months of July and August. The average rainfall received is around 1892.55 mm in the District. South West monsoon is primarily responsible for the rainfall.
With limited industrialization, the people of this District depend upon agriculture as their main source of livelihood, with about 76 percentage of the population being dependent on it. Agriculture in this District is sustained by the numerous rivers and canals flowing through it. Rice, pulses, oil seeds, jute, sugarcane, coconut and turmeric are the major crops grown here. This District is a major exporter of cash crops, which in turn contributes immensely towards its economic growth. A number of reforms have been implemented in this agricultural sector by the government. Example of some of these reforms are broad basing of agriculture & allied sectors by bringing stake holders to a common platform and empowering farmers’ organization & utilizing farmers’ input into programme planning and resource allocations etc. Among other industries, the District has a rich tradition of handicraft and cottage industries. The District is famous for its silver filigree works. Horn works, Patta Chitra, Dokra Casting, Terra Cota, Wood Carving, Art Leather and Brass/Bell Metal works are also quite evolved here. The District also generates substantial revenues from the exports of these handicraft products. The presence of a number of handicraft cooperatives and handicraft training institutes gives a boost to this handicraft industry. There are a number of other large and medium industries functioning in this District as well. Some of the prominent among them are Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA), Paradeep Oxygen and Odisha Magnetics etc. The micro and small industries functioning here are either chemical based, textile based, leather based or any other category based. The most important aspect as regards the industrial growth of the District is the presence of industrial estates. Many enterprises are also in the pipeline, prominent among them being Odisha Cement Ltd, Tata Power, Visa Power, Nilachal Power, Arati Steel etc. Secondary Board High School, Ravenshaw University, SCB Medical College, Madhusudan Law College are some of the premier educational institutions of the District. It has also a number of technical institutes like Bhubanananda Odisha School of Engineering (BOSE), IPSAR, Institute of Textile Technology (ITT), National Law University (NLU) , Shri Shri University, National Rice Research Institute (CRRI), National Institute of Rehabilitation and Training (NIRTAR), Regional Spinal Injury Centre (RSIC) and Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Research Centre (AHRCRC) are the pioneer research institutes functioning here. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Karma Veera Gouri Shankar Ray, Dr. Radhanath Rath, Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab, Biju patnaik, Pyarimohan Acharya are some of the prominent personalities this District.
As per 2011 Census, total population of the district is 2624470 which consists of 1352760 (Male) and 1271710 (Female). The population density of the district is 667 per Sq. Km. and the Literacy Rate is 85.5 percent. Sex ratio of the district is 940 female per 1000 male.
