Shekhaਸ਼ੇਖਾ

Where is Shekha?

Shekha is a village of Barnala tehsil in Barnala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Barnala, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Barnala community development block and is served by the Sekha gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 039991, and it covers 2,290 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 7,594 people in Shekha: 4,074 men and 3,520 women, living in 1,457 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 2,290 hectares, the population density works out to about 332 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 864 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 672, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 2,149 people, about 28 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 62.21 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 64.73 per cent and women at 59.29 per cent. The census recorded 2,449 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 2,355 main workers, the largest group, 1,162, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 583 agricultural labourers and 564 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 94 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Shekha's land. Of the village's 2,290 hectares, 2,086 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 2,000 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (2,000 hectares). About 168 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 1,169 cultivators and 604 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, 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health centre and a veterinary hospital. 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. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Shekha is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Barnala, about 4 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the village has its own railway station. Barnala, the tehsil headquarters, and Barnala town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Harbanspura, Jhaloor, Sanghera and Thulewal.

What is the population of Shekha?

The population of Shekha was 7,594 at the 2011 census, living in 1,457 households in Barnala tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Shekha have?

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