Pakhoਪੱਖੋ

Where is Pakho?

Pakho is a village in Tapa tehsil of Barnala district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Tapa, about 10 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Barnala community development block and is served by the Pakho Kalan gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 040040, and it covers 3,105 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 10,376 people in Pakho: 5,393 men and 4,983 women, living in 1,963 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 3,105 hectares, the population density works out to about 334 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 924 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 1,320, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 4,283 people, about 41 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 56.68 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 59.34 per cent and women at 53.8 per cent. The census recorded 4,260 workers, about 41 per cent of the village. Of the 3,050 main workers, the largest group, 1,249, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 1,242 cultivators on their own land and 520 agricultural labourers. A further 1,210 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Pakho's land. Of the village's 3,105 hectares, 2,816 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 2,586 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (1,636 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (950 hectares). About 246 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 1,266 cultivators and 1,163 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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, 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.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. 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

Pakho is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Tapa, about 10 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 Rura Khurd, Tajoke and Rura Kalan.

What is the population of Pakho?

The population of Pakho was 10,376 at the 2011 census, living in 1,963 households in Tapa tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Pakho have?

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