Darajਦਰਜ

Where is Daraj?

Daraj is a village of Tapa tehsil in Barnala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Tapa, about 2 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 040056, and it covers 844 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,861 people in Daraj: 1,516 men and 1,345 women, living in 513 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 844 hectares, the population density works out to about 339 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 887 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 273, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 749 people, about 26 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 61.55 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 66.94 per cent and women at 55.56 per cent. The census recorded 976 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 931 main workers, the largest group, 431, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 256 agricultural labourers and 234 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 45 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Daraj's land. Of the village's 844 hectares, 765 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (380 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (385 hectares). About 79 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 9 hours a day. With 432 cultivators and 259 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. The village had a sub post office. 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Daraj is reached by village roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Tapa, about 2 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Tapa, the tehsil headquarters, and Barnala town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Draka, Jaimal Singhwala, Tappa Rural and Mauran (Patiala).

What is the population of Daraj?

The population of Daraj was 2,861 at the 2011 census, living in 513 households in Tapa tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Daraj have?

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