Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district.
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 India-Pakistan border.
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.[3]
1800s
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.[4]
British Rule
During British Rule Amritsar District was part of Lahore Division and was administratively subdivided into 3 tehsils namely - Amritsar, Ajnala and Tarn Taran.[5] 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 like Patti & Khem Karan falling in the Lahore District 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 semiarid climate, typical of Northwestern India and experiences four seasons primarily: winter season (December to March, when temperatures can drop to −1 °C (30 °F), summer season (April to June) where temperatures can reach 45 °C (113 °F), monsoon season (July to September) and post-monsoon season (October to November). Annual rainfall is about 703.4 millimetres (27.7 in).[6] The lowest recorded temperature is −3.6 °C (25.5 °F), was recorded on 9 December 1996 and the highest temperature, 47.8 °C (118.0 °F), was recorded on 9 June 1995.[7] The official weather station for the city is the civil aerodrome at Rajasansi. Weather records here date back to 15 November 1947.
According to the 2011 census Amritsar district has a population of 2,490,656,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait[11] or the US state of Nevada.[12] 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.[2] The total Scheduled Caste population is 770,864 (30.95%) of the population. There were 488,898 households in the district in 2011.[2]
Gender
The table below shows the sex ratio of Amritsar district in various census years.[13]
Decadal sex ratio of Amritsar district by census years[13]
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.[14]
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 live in urban areas.[17]
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 2020[18]
Indicators
Number of children (<5 years)
Percent (2020)
Percent (2016)
Stunted
37,510
19%
22%
Wasted
23,052
12%
11%
Severely wasted
12,174
6%
3%
Underweight
21,716
11%
13%
Overweight/obesity
12,116
6%
3%
Anemia
127,880
74%
45%
Total children
193,551
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Amritsar of women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, as of year 2020.
District nutritional profile of Amritsar of women of 15–49 years, in 2020[18]
Indicators
Number of women (15–49 years)
Percent (2020)
Percent (2016)
Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m^2)
77,308
10%
11%
Overweight/obesity
339,578
42%
30%
Hypertension
288,120
36%
16%
Diabetes
108,135
13%
NA
Anemia (non-preg)
422,426
53%
53%
Anemia (preg)
13,454
35%
58%
Total women (preg)
38,331
Total women
802,785
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 the head of the police force. The Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar is Harpreet Singh Sudan appointed in 2022.[19]
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.
Amritsar District Borders the Pakistani Punjab Districts of Lahore, Kasur, Shiekhupura along the Ravi River Tarn Taran District to the South along Sutlej River, Kapurthala District along the Beas River and Gurdaspur District to the North.
^Historic district borders may not be an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. This discrepancy can be seen in the district population history table which has taken into account the various bifurcations since 1941.
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