Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. It is located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district. The district is part of the Jalandhar division.
As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Punjab (out of 23), after Ludhiana. It is a border district of Punjab and lies along the India-Pakistan border. Amritsar district borders the Pakistani Punjab districts of Lahore, Kasur, Shiekhupura along the Ravi river, Tarn Taran district to the south along the Sutlej river, Kapurthala district along the Beas river, and Gurdaspur District to the north.
History Sur Empire (1540 - 1554) Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan monarch, defeated Kamran in 1540 and conquered Punjab, including Amritsar, which remained part of the Sur Empire until 1554.
Sikh Empire The control of Amritsar was fully taken by Maharaja Ranjit Singh by 1802, after bringing all the Misls under his control. He also fortified Gobindgarh Fort along modern lines.
British
Amritsar district was annexed by the British from its former Sikh rulers after the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848–1849. During British Rule Amritsar District was part of Lahore Division and was administratively subdivided into 3 tehsils namely - Amritsar, Ajnala and Tarn Taran. However, as part of the partition of India in 1947, Amritsar district was separated from the rest of the division and awarded to India. Some areas 186 villages, Patti and Khem Karan falling in the Lahore District (Kasur Tahsil) became part of Amritsar District at partition. During the partition period, the Muslim population of the district, some 46%, left for Pakistan while Hindus and Sikhs from West Punjab in newly created Pakistan migrated in the opposite direction. The Sikhs and Hindus (37% and 15.38%) were a majority in the Amritsar district jointly constituting about 52% of the total population before the partition of 1947.
Climate Amritsar has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen: Cwa), typical of Northwestern India and experiences four seasons primarily: winter season (December to March, when temperatures can drop to , summer season (April to June) where temperatures can reach , monsoon season (July to September) and post-monsoon season (October to November). Annual rainfall is about . The lowest recorded temperature is , was recorded on 9 December 1996 and the highest temperature, , was recorded on 9 June 1995. The official weather station for the city is the civil aerodrome at Rajasansi. Weather records here date back to 15 November 1947.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Amritsar district has a population of 2,490,656, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of Nevada. The number of literates in Amritsar district is 1,684,770 (67.6%), with 932,981 (70.8%) male literates and 751,789 (64.1%) female literates. The effective 7+ literacy of the district is 76.27%. The sex ratio of 889 females for every 1,000 males. The total Scheduled Caste population is 770,864 (30.95%) of the population. There were 488,898 households in the district in 2011.
Gender The table below shows the sex ratio of Amritsar district in various census years.
+Decadal sex ratio of Amritsar district by census yearsYear (Census)Sex Ratio201188920018711991873198187119718561961854195184119418411931803192179619117811901829
Religion
According to the 2011 census, Sikhs make up about 69% of the population while Hindus 28%, with a small minority of Christians (2%) and Muslims. Sikhs predominate in rural areas (over 90%), while Hindus and Sikhs are in nearly-equal numbers in urban areas. Christianity is growing rapidly especially among Dalits, while Islam, once the major religion in the district, is now insignificant. Religion2011 Census Number%Sikh1,716,93568.94%Hindu690,93927.74%Christian54,3442.18%Muslim12,5020.50%Others/NA15,9360.64%Total2,490,656100.00% Religion by tehsilSikhHinduChristianMuslimPop%Pop%Pop%Pop%Baba Bakala293,74322,3451,7341,795Ajnala384,49726,40929,742942Amritsar - I258,25942,7866,0602,743Amritsar - II780,436599,39916,8087,022 The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Amritsar district.
+Absolute numbers of different religious groups in Amritsar districtReligionUrban (2011)Rural (2011)Urban (2001)Rural (2001)Urban (1991)Rural (1991)Sikh6,63,14510,53,7906,28,20717,55,3683,14,94713,40,258Hindu6,32,94457,9955,70,32777,9573,96,21595,937Christian19,39634,94817,03834,9106,75229,175Muslim7,4515,0513,6903,4819401,303Other religions11,6754,2614,0131,0862,775188
+ Religious groups in Amritsar District (British Punjab province era)Religiousgroup1881189119011911192119311941 Islam 413,207 452,237 474,976 408,882 423,724 524,676 657,695 Hinduism 262,531 276,675 280,985 211,708 204,435 174,556 217,431 Sikhism 216,337 261,452 264,329 253,941 287,004 399,951 510,845 Christianity 869 1,609 2,078 4,763 12,773 16,619 25,973 Jainism 312 718 1,439 1,386 1,375 1,272 1,911 Zoroastrianism 9 5 19 48 58 42 21 Buddhism 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 Judaism 0 2 0 0 4 0 Others 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Total population 893,266 992,697 1,023,828 880,728 929,374 1,117,120 1,413,876 + Religion in the Tehsils of Amritsar District (1921)TehsilHinduism Islam Sikhism Christianity Jainism OthersTotal Amritsar Tehsil 126,586 195,255 124,577 2,961 1,318 63 450,760 Taran Taran Tehsil 52,332 119,232 120,227 2,626 48 0 294,465 Ajnala Tehsil 25,517 109,237 42,200 7,186 9 0 184,149 + Religion in the Tehsils of Amritsar District (1941)TehsilHinduism Islam Sikhism Christianity Jainism OthersTotal Amritsar Tehsil 175,771 359,025 243,297 8,968 1,901 197 789,159 Taran Taran Tehsil 26,245 157,731 199,562 3,654 10 466 387,668 Ajnala Tehsil 15,415 140,939 67,986 12,708 0 1 237,049
Language
At the time of the 2011 census, 94.29% of the population spoke Punjabi and 4.80% Hindi as their first language. Hindi-speakers almost all lived in urban areas.
Health The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Amritsar, as of year 2020.
+ District nutrition profile of children under 5 years of age in Amritsar, year 2020IndicatorsNumber of children (<5 years) Percent (2020) Percent (2016)Stunted37,51019%22%Wasted23,05212%11%Severely wasted12,1746%3%Underweight21,71611%13%Overweight/obesity12,1166%3%Anemia127,88074%45%Total children193,551
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Amritsar of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, as of year 2020.
+District nutritional profile of Amritsar of women of 15–49 years, in 2020IndicatorsNumber of women (15–49 years) Percent (2020)Percent (2016)Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m^2)77,30810%11%Overweight/obesity339,57842%30%Hypertension288,12036%16%Diabetes108,13513%NAAnemia (non-preg)422,42653%53%Anemia (preg)13,45435%58%Total women (preg)38,331Total women802,785
The table below shows the current use of family planning methods by currently married women between the age of 15 and 49 years, in Amritsar district.
+Family planning methods used by women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Amritsar districtMethodTotal (2015–16) Urban (2015–16)Rural (2015–16)Female sterilisation36.9%33.1%41.5%Male sterilisation1.2%0.3%2.3%IUD/PPIUD9.3%10.6%7.6%Pill2.2%2.6%1.7%Condom22.1%26.3%17.0%Any modern method71.6%72.9%70.1%Any method81.0%84.5%76.6%Total unmet need4.0%3.6%4.6%Unmet need for spacing1.7%1.1%2.5%
The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Amritsar district by year.
+Road accidents and people affected in Amritsar district by yearYearAccidentsKilledInjuredVehicles Involved2022285343137350 202128023112029620202431901203152019372299188401
Economy The table below shows the number of registered working factories and workers employed by selected manufacturing industries in Amritsar district as of 2017.
+Number of registered working factories and workers employed by selected manufacturing industries in Amritsar district in 2017IndustryFactoriesWorkersBasic metals12Computers, Electronics and Optical products11147Chemicals and chemical products675Transport equipment120Furniture211Non-metallic mineral products369Beverages21189Food products and Beverages products14134
District administration The Deputy Commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is in charge of general administration of the district. He is generally a middle-level IAS officer of Punjab Cadre. As the District Magistrate, he also effectively heads the police force. The Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar is Harpreet Singh Sudan, appointed in 2022. Administration of departments such as public works, health, education, agriculture, animal husbandry, etc. is headed by district officers who belong to various Punjab state services. The Commissioner of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is responsible for maintaining law and order in the district. He is assisted by officers of the Punjab Police Service and other Punjab Police officials. The Divisional Forest Officer, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service is responsible for the management of forests and wildlife in the district. He is assisted by officers of the Punjab Forest Service, other Punjab Forest officials, and Punjab Wildlife officials. A Municipal corporation is responsible for the management of public works and health systems in the city of Amritsar. The municipal corporation is a democratic body of councillors and is presided over by the Mayor, who is elected by the councillors. At present, there are more than 70 councillors.
Subdistricts in Amritsar district
There are four tehsils in Amritsar district as per 2011 census. #TehsilDistrict1Amritsar- IIAmritsar2AjnalaAmritsar3Baba BakalaAmritsar4Amritsar -IAmritsar5 Majitha Amritsar 6 LopokeAmritsar According to the Indian government's integrated online directory, Amritsar district is divided into the following subdistricts (tehsils/subdivisions) and blocks:
Subdistricts Ajnala Amritsar -I Amritsar- II Baba Bakala Lopoke Majitha Blocks: Ajnala Attari Chogawan Harshe Chhina Jandiala Guru Majitha-1 Majitha-2 Ramdas Rayya Tarsikka Verka
Politics ConstituencynumberConstituencynameReserved for(SC/None)Electors(2017)District 15Amritsar NorthNoneAmritsar16Amritsar WestSCAmritsar17Amritsar CentralNoneAmritsar18Amritsar EastNoneAmritsar19Amritsar SouthNoneAmritsar20AttariSCAmritsar
MLA No. Constituency Name of MLA PartyBench11AjnalaKuldip Singh DhaliwalGovernment12RajasansiSukhbinder Singh SarkariaOpposition13 Majitha Ganieve Kaur Majithia Opposition14Jandiala (SC) Harbhajan Singh E.T.O.Government15 Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Pratap SinghGovernment16Amritsar West (SC) Jasbir Singh SandhuGovernment17Amritsar CentralAjay GuptaGovernment18Amritsar EastJeevan Jyot KaurGovernment19Amritsar SouthInderbir Singh NijjarGovernment20Attari (SC)Jaswinder SinghGovernment25Baba Bakala (SC) Dalbir Singh TongGovernment
List of DC