Fatah Baluਫਤਹਿ ਬਾਲੂ

Where is Fatah Balu?

Fatah Balu is a village of Talwandi Sabo tehsil in Bathinda district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Talwandi Sabo, about 18 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Talwandi Sabo community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035916, and it covers 483 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 774 people in Fatah Balu: 396 men and 378 women, living in 137 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 483 hectares, the population density works out to about 160 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 955 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 93, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 247 people, about 32 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 60.06 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 67.53 per cent and women at 52.25 per cent. The census recorded 294 workers, about 38 per cent of the village. Of the 280 main workers, the largest group, 145, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 115 agricultural labourers and 16 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 14 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Fatah Balu's land. Of the village's 483 hectares, 450 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 443 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (443 hectares). About 33 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 151 cultivators and 121 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health centre. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Fatah Balu is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Talwandi Sabo, about 18 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Talwandi Sabo, the tehsil headquarters, and Bathinda, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kalalwala, Golewala, Raya and Natheha.

What is the population of Fatah Balu?

The population of Fatah Balu was 774 at the 2011 census, living in 137 households in Talwandi Sabo tehsil of Bathinda district.

What facilities does Fatah Balu have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Fatah Balu has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.