Budgam district

Budgam district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below). (a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories."; (b)  (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; (c)  C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; (d) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." (e) Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir."; (f)  (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962."; (g)  Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." (h) Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; (i)  Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." Created in 1979 with its headquarters at the town of Budgam, it is the district with the largest population of Shia Muslims in the Kashmir valley.

Administration
Budgam district is the closest district to the union territory capital Srinagar 11 km. Budgam district came into existence in 1979, prior to which it was part of Srinagar district. In former times, Budgam was a part of Baramulla district, when Srinagar itself was a constituent of the Anantnag district. It was then known as tehsil Sri Pratap. Historical records suggests that Budgam was also referred to as Pargana Deesu. According to the well-known chronicler Khawaja Azam Demari, the area was also known as Deedmarbag. Budgam district borders the districts of Baramullah and Srinagar in the north, Pulwama in the south and Poonch in the south west.

In 2008, Budgam district consisted of eight blocks. Currently, the district consists of seventeen blocks: Beerwah, Budgam, B.K.Pora, Chadoora, Charari Sharief, Khag, Khansahib, Nagam, Narbal, Pakherpora, Parnewa, Rathsoon, Soibugh, Sukhnag, Surasyar, S.K.Pora and Waterhail. Each block consists of a number of panchayats.

The district is subdivided into the nine tehsils of Charari Sharief Tehsil, Magam tehsil, Beerwah Tehsil, Budgam Tehsil, Chadoora Tehsil, Khansahib Tehsil, Khag Tehsil, BK Pora Tehsil and Narbal Tehsil.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census Budgam district has a population of 735,753 roughly equal to the nation of Guyana or the US state of Alaska, making it 494th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 554 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.14%. Badgam has a sex ratio of 883 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 56.08% (males 66.30%, females 44.85%), an increase from 42.20% (males 53.13%, females 30.29%) in 2001. Literacy is higher in urban areas (average 68.87%, male 79.46%, female 55.38%) than in rural areas (average 54.01%, male 64.00%, female 43.29%).

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 94.78% of the population in the district spoke Kashmiri and 3.01% Gojri as their first language.

Shias form 20% of Budgam district's population; almost 30% of the urban population of the district are Shia, whilst the majority of the rural population of the district are Sunni.

Education
There are 590 schools in Budgam, both private and public, 33 of which are Higher Secondary Schools.↵There are 6 Government Degree Colleges at;


 * 1) Government Degree College Beerwah
 * 2) Government Degree College Khansahib
 * 3) Government Degree College Magam
 * 4) Sheikh ul Aalam Memorial Degree College Budgam
 * 5) Model Degree College Chrar e Sharif
 * 6) Government Degree College chadoora.

Railways
Budgam district has three railway stations: Budgam, Nadigam and Mazhom, which are all on the Jammu–Baramulla line.

Budgam railway station is located in Ompora town nearly 2.5 km from Budgam's district headquarters and 9 km from Srinagar's city centre, Lalchowk. It is the biggest railway station in Kashmir division. This railway station has the administrative head controlling the rail service in the Kashmir valley.

Health care
Budgam mainly rely on the Hospitals of Capital City Of Srinagar But Contain One District Hospital In Budgam City One Sub District Hospitals respectively in Beerwah, Khan Sahib, Magam, Chadoora.Outside Budgam railway station, there is a big hospital, named Ibn-Sina Hospital, which is Budgam district's first private hospital.

Attractions
Budgam contains the only airport in Kashmir valley at Ichgam. The district's main tourist attractions are Doodhpathri, Yusmarg, Tosamaidan, Nilnag, Khag and Pehjan. District Budgam offers many stunning locales and has tremendous tourism potential that has largely remained untapped so far. The attractive places that can be visited are Doodhpathri, Yousmarg, Tosamaidan, Nilnag and Khag. Kani Shawl adomed the caesar's court and was looked upon by Mughals and later by Nawabs as mark of nobility. In 1776, Napoleon Bonaparte presented a Kani shawl to his wife Josephine and with that took off a new fashion trend in Europe. The revered shrine of Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali can also be found in the Charari Sharief Tehsil of Budgam district. Asia's oldest/largest Chinar resides at Chattergam Budgam. Aga Sahib Shrine and Tomb of Shams-ud-Din Araqi are also situated in this district.

Notable people

 * Nund Rishi,
 * Shamas Faqir,
 * Ghulam Nabi Gowhar
 * Samad Mir,
 * Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi,
 * Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi
 * Aga Syed Mohammad Fazlullah
 * Aga Mir Syed Mohammad Baqir Mosavi
 * Aga Syed Mustafa Al-Moosavi
 * Aga Syed Mehdi
 * Aga Syed Mohsin