Pungaਪੁਂਗਾ

Where is Punga?

Punga is a village in Ajnala tehsil of Amritsar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Ajnala, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Ajnala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 037241, and it covers 118 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 870 people in Punga: 429 men and 441 women, living in 166 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 118 hectares, the population density works out to about 737 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1028 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 159, about 18 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 605 people, about 70 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 39.24 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 48.15 per cent and women at 30.56 per cent. The census recorded 387 workers, about 44 per cent of the village. Of the 181 main workers, the largest group, 85, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 59 cultivators on their own land and 25 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 206 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Punga's land. Of the village's 118 hectares, 105 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (105 hectares). About 13 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 61 cultivators and 287 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Punga is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Ajnala, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Ajnala, the tehsil headquarters, and Amritsar city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Chak Aul and Kamirpur.

What is the population of Punga?

The population of Punga was 870 at the 2011 census, living in 166 households in Ajnala tehsil of Amritsar district.

What facilities does Punga have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Punga has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.