Swaichਸਵੈਚ

Where is Swaich?

Swaich is a village in Maur tehsil of Bathinda district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Maur, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Maur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035886, and it covers 598 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,404 people in Swaich: 740 men and 664 women, living in 243 households, an average of about 5.8 people per household. Spread over its 598 hectares, the population density works out to about 235 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 897 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 152, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 163 people, about 12 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 65.5 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 71.3 per cent and women at 59.13 per cent. The census recorded 654 workers, about 47 per cent of the village. Of the 338 main workers, the largest group, 232, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 66 other workers in trade, transport and services and 28 agricultural labourers. A further 316 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Swaich's land. Of the village's 598 hectares, 560 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 512 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (416 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (96 hectares). About 38 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 310 cultivators and 105 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 2 government primary schools, 2 government middle schools 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre, a primary health centre, a primary health sub-centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Swaich is reached by pucca roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Maur, about 4 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Maur, the tehsil headquarters, and Bathinda, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kamalu, Rajgarh Kuba, Kotli Khurd and Sandoha.

What is the population of Swaich?

The population of Swaich was 1,404 at the 2011 census, living in 243 households in Maur tehsil of Bathinda district.

What facilities does Swaich have?

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