Majuli district

Majuli district is the largest river island in the world, situated on the Brahmaputra River in Northeastern Assam. It is also the first island district of the country. On June 27, 2016 an additional district was announced by Sarbananda Sonowal, taking the total number from 32 to 33 after Majuli was carved out of the Northern parts of Jorhat. The district consists of one circle, Majuli. The Deputy Commissioner is Bikram Kairi, IAS. The main industry is agriculture, with paddy being the chief crop. Majuli has a rich and diverse agricultural tradition, with as many as 100 varieties of rice grown, all without pesticides or artificial fertilisers. Handloom is a major occupation among the distaff population of the villages. Although largely a non-commercial occupation, it keeps many of the inhabitants occupied. Weaving is exquisite and intricate with the use of a variety of colours and textures of cotton and silk, especially Muga silk. Among the fascinating arrays of rice produced are the Komal Saul, a unique type that can be eaten after immersing the grains in warm water for 15 minutes and usually eaten as a breakfast cereal; the bao dhan, that grows under water and is harvested after ten months and the Bora saul, a sticky brown rice used to make the traditional cake known as pitha. Fishing, dairying, pottery, handloom and boat-making are other important economic activities. As of the 2011 census, Majuli district has a population of 1,67,304, entirely rural. Majuli has a sex ratio of 955 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 23,878 (14.27%) and 77,603 (46.38%) of the population. Hinduism is the predominant religion, practiced by 99.04% of the population. Majuli is famous throughout Assam for its large number of Satras. At the time of the 2011 census, 54.47% of the population spoke Assamese, 41.01% Mising, 1.66% Bengali and 1.22% Deori as their first language. Majuli (Vidhan Sabha constituency) falls under the 99 constituency of legislative assembly of Assam. It is a reserved seat for the Scheduled tribes (ST).