Itna Upazila
Itna Upazila (kishoreganj district) area 401.93 sq km, located in between 24°27' and 24°39' north latitudes and in between 90°57' and 91°57' east longitudes. It is bounded by madan and khaliajuri upazilas on the north, mithamain and karimganj upazilas on the south, ajmiriganj and sulla upazilas on the east, tarail upazila on the west.
Population Total 164127; male 83790, female 80337; Muslim 140080, Hindu 23883, Buddhist 2, Christian 27 and others 135.
Water bodies Main rivers: surma, Dhanu, Baulai, Kalni; Haular Haor, Maora Beel, Chapra Beel, Kaira Beel, Ugli Beel, Sonabandha Beel, Ghora Beel and Agalpa Beel are notable.
Administration Itna Thana was formed in 1917 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.
| Upazila | ||||||||
| Municipality | Union | Mouza | Village | Population | Density (per sq km) | Literacy rate (%) | ||
| Urban | Rural | Urban | Rural | |||||
| - | 9 | 81 | 116 | 22669 | 141458 | 408 | 34.8 | 26.5 |
| Upazila Town | ||||||||
| Area (sq km) | Mouza | Population | Density (per sq km) | Literacy rate (%) | ||||
| 37.70 | 5 | 22669 | 601 | 34.8 | ||||
| Union | ||||||||
| Name of union and GO code | Area (acre) | Population | Literacy rate (%) | |||||
| Male | Female | |||||||
| Itna 51 | 11773 | 12921 | 12281 | 32.3 | ||||
| Elongjuri 48 | 7676 | 7081 | 7002 | 31.9 | ||||
| Chauganga 27 | 2859 | 8030 | 7677 | 32.4 | ||||
| Joysiddhi 60 | 9417 | 9151 | 9257 | 25.3 | ||||
| Dhanpur 43 | 15469 | 7014 | 6648 | 30.4 | ||||
| Badla 17 | 13192 | 8898 | 8049 | 23.1 | ||||
| Baribari 25 | 8369 | 6094 | 5770 | 28.7 | ||||
| Mriga 86 | 11654 | 11799 | 11676 | 24.1 | ||||
| Raituti 94 | 11766 | 12802 | 11977 | 23.6 | ||||
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Archaeological heritage and relics Badshahi Mosque and Dighi (Itna Barahati)
War of Liberation During the war of liberation the Pakistan Army killed many people of village Boyra of Joysiddhi union. Freedom fighters organized resistance to Pakistani soldiers in different places of the upazila and carried out an operation at the Itna police station to free it from the enemies. There is a mass grave at Boira village of Joysiddhi union.
For details: see ইটনা উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ১।
Religious institutions Mosque 250, temple 7, tomb 6, akhra 4.
Literacy rate and educational institutions Average 27.7%; male 29.1%, female 26.2%. Educational institutions: college 1, secondary school 11, primary school 93, kindergarten 3, madrasa 21, maktab 137. Noted educational institutions: Itna College (1998), Mahesh Chandra Shikkaya Nikentan High School (1943), Thaneshwar High School (1947), Joysiddhi High School (1974), Itna Pilot Girls' High School (1984), Chauganga Fazil Madrasa (1962).
Cultural organisations Officers' club 1, women's organisation 1, community centre 1, cultural groups 5.
Main sources of income Agriculture 77.84%, non-agricultural labourer 3.45%, industry 0.32%, commerce 6.40%, transport and communication 0.37%, service 1.93%, construction 0.41%, religious service 0.30%, rent and remittance 0.16% and others 4.86%.
Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 53.91%, landless 46.09%; agricultural landowner: urban 39.22% and rural 56.17%.
Main crops Paddy, potato, mustard, peanut, vegetables.
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, china.
Main fruits Mango, black berry, banana.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 215, poultry 81, hatchery 12.
Communication facilities Pucca road 15 km, semi-pucca road 7 km, mud road 50 km; waterway 150 km.
Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.
Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 12, fairs 3, most noted of which are Natun Bazar, Puran Bazar, Dhanpur Bazar, Joysiddhi Bazar, Elongjuri Bazar and Barshikura Bazar.
Main exports Paddy, fish, potato, peanut.
Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 48.9% of the dwellings have access to electricity.
Sources of drinking water Tube-well 93.3%, tap 0.1% and others 6.6%.
Sanitation 22.7% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 68.7% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 8.6% of households do not have latrine facilities.
Health centres Upazila health centre 1, family welfare centre 4, hospital 1.
Natural Disasters Many people were victims of the famine of 1943. Besides, the floods of 1974, 1988 and 1998 caused heavy damages to settlements, livestock and other properties of the upazila.
NGO activities brac, RDP, UP. [Saurav Jahangir]
References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Itna Upazila 2007.
