Bhilaਭਿਲਾ

Where is Bhila?

Bhila is a village of Tapa tehsil in Barnala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Barnala, about 27 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Mehal Kalan community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 040079, and it covers 1,367 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 4,502 people in Bhila: 2,353 men and 2,149 women, living in 899 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 1,367 hectares, the population density works out to about 329 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 913 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 446, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,727 people, about 38 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.17 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.09 per cent and women at 62.71 per cent. The census recorded 1,608 workers, about 36 per cent of the village. Of the 1,164 main workers, the largest group, 554, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 369 other workers in trade, transport and services and 207 agricultural labourers. A further 444 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bhila's land. Of the village's 1,367 hectares, 1,191 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (524 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (667 hectares). About 176 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. With 579 cultivators and 423 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 secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had a PDS ration shop. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bhila is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Barnala, about 27 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 Ramgarh, Gehal, Talewal and Naraingarh Sohian.

What is the population of Bhila?

The population of Bhila was 4,502 at the 2011 census, living in 899 households in Tapa tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Bhila have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bhila has government schools from primary to secondary school level and an anganwadi centre.