Virk Kalanਵਿਰਕ ਕਲਾਂ

Where is Virk Kalan?

Virk Kalan is a village in Bathinda tehsil of Bathinda district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Bathinda, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Bathinda community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035776, and it covers 1,329 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,751 people in Virk Kalan: 1,446 men and 1,305 women, living in 562 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 1,329 hectares, the population density works out to about 207 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 902 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 295, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 860 people, about 31 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 62.54 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 68.58 per cent and women at 55.84 per cent. The census recorded 1,770 workers, about 64 per cent of the village. Of the 1,226 main workers, the largest group, 564, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 418 cultivators on their own land and 230 agricultural labourers. A further 544 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Virk Kalan's land. Of the village's 1,329 hectares, 916 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (846 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (70 hectares). About 77 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 498 cultivators and 354 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health sub-centre and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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

Virk Kalan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Bathinda, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Bathinda, the tehsil headquarters, and Bathinda, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Baluana, Virk Khurd, Chugha Khurd and Karamgarh Sattran.

What is the population of Virk Kalan?

The population of Virk Kalan was 2,751 at the 2011 census, living in 562 households in Bathinda tehsil of Bathinda district.

What facilities does Virk Kalan have?

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