Asika or Aska is a town and a Notified Area Council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Fondly known as the sugar city of India. Asika is the 3rd largest city in district of Ganjam after Berhampur and Bhanjanagar. Asika is a major commercial and transportation hub of Ganjam district. It is situated between river Badanadi and holy river Rushikuliya. Asika is located on state highway 7 and national highway 59.It is 40 kilometers away from Berhampur. It has road connectivity to all most all town and cities of Odisha. This city is home to people of various religious beliefs and thus contains several temples, mosques and churches, as well as colleges, schools and other institutions.
Geography
Asika is located at. It has an average elevation of 30 metres. It is situated at a distance of 40 km from Brahmapur on South, 35 km from Bhanjanagar on the North at the confluence of Rivers Rushikulya and Badanadi. NH-59 passes through this city.
Asika Sugar Factory
is the first sugar factory in Asia, established in 1824. The plant is located in Asika town. Asika Cooperative Sugar Industries is a large scale industry employing more than 35000 families. It is one of the oldest in India, built by Minchin Saheb in British time. Along with the factory at Nellikuppam near Cuddalore, it was managed by Parry and Co. Due to this factory Asika Town is known as Sugar City. The jaggery mill was started in 1848 as Asika Sugar Works and Distillery Ltd. by Parry and Co. Madras. It met with huge losses for lack of supervision and other transport bottlenecks. Thereafter, Fredrick Josheph Vivian Minchin, the Book Keeper of Biny & Co. purchased the factory and with the new Sugar Technology obtained from Germany designed and rebuilt the factory in 1856.
Demographics
India census, Asika had a population of 21,428. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Asika has an average literacy rate of 85.76%, higher than the national average of 72.87%; with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
This constituency includes Aska, Aska block and 12 GPs of Kabisuryanagar block. The current MLA from Asika Assembly Constituency is Smt. Manjula Swain of BJD. Previous MLAs from this seat was Sri. Debaraj Mohanty from 2004-2014Biju Janata Dal, Usharani Panda of the Indian National Congress in 1995, Duti Krushna Panda of CPI in 1990, Raghaba Parida who won representing INC in 1985 and as a candidate of the Indian National Congress in 1980, and Harihar Swain of JNP in 1977. Asika is part of Aska.
