Othian (Ajnala)ਓਠੀਆਂ (ਅਜਨਾਲਾ)

Where is Othian (Ajnala)?

Othian (Ajnala) is a village of Lopoke tehsil in Amritsar district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Raja Sansi, about 9 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Harsa Chhina community development block and is served by the Othian gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 037318, and it covers 671 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,236 people in Othian (Ajnala): 1,716 men and 1,520 women, living in 625 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 671 hectares, the population density works out to about 482 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 886 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 364, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,541 people, about 48 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 61.32 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 66.34 per cent and women at 55.71 per cent. The census recorded 1,040 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 988 main workers, the largest group, 423, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 374 cultivators on their own land and 190 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 52 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Othian (Ajnala)'s land. Of the village's 671 hectares, 588 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (474 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (114 hectares). About 1 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 378 cultivators and 446 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, one government middle school, one government secondary school and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre, a primary health centre, a primary health sub-centre, an allopathic hospital, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Othian (Ajnala) is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Raja Sansi, about 9 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Lopoke, the tehsil headquarters, and Amritsar city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kotli Sakka, Jauns and Bagga (Ajnala).

What is the population of Othian (Ajnala)?

The population of Othian (Ajnala) was 3,236 at the 2011 census, living in 625 households in Lopoke tehsil of Amritsar district.

What facilities does Othian (Ajnala) have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Othian (Ajnala) has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a post office.