Alkranਅਲਕਰਨ

Where is Alkran?

Alkran is a village of Tapa tehsil in Barnala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Bhadaur, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sehna community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 040064, and it covers 467 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,019 people in Alkran: 1,062 men and 957 women, living in 385 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 467 hectares, the population density works out to about 432 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 901 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 201, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 763 people, about 38 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 63.53 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 67.89 per cent and women at 58.73 per cent. The census recorded 622 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 581 main workers, the largest group, 243, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 198 agricultural labourers and 136 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 41 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Alkran's land. Of the village's 467 hectares, 409 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (252 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (157 hectares). About 48 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 259 cultivators and 213 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Alkran is reached by village roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Bhadaur, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Tapa, the tehsil headquarters, and Barnala town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Jangiana, Kharak Singhwala, Chhana Gulabsingh and Talwandi.

What is the population of Alkran?

The population of Alkran was 2,019 at the 2011 census, living in 385 households in Tapa tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Alkran have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Alkran has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.