Bidowaliਬਿਡੋਵਾਲੀ

Where is Bidowali?

Bidowali is a village of Gidderbaha tehsil in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Gidderbaha, about 10 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Lambi community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035318, and it covers 719 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,907 people in Bidowali: 980 men and 927 women, living in 373 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 719 hectares, the population density works out to about 265 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 946 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 207, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,157 people, about 61 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 65.65 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 75.69 per cent and women at 55.17 per cent. The census recorded 1,090 workers, about 57 per cent of the village. Of the 651 main workers, the largest group, 259, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 201 other workers in trade, transport and services and 190 cultivators on their own land. A further 439 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bidowali's land. Of the village's 719 hectares, 601 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (601 hectares). About 47 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 193 cultivators and 279 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. 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. 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

Bidowali is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Gidderbaha, about 10 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Gidderbaha, the tehsil headquarters, and Sri Muktsar Sahib, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Lal Bai and Dhaula.

What is the population of Bidowali?

The population of Bidowali was 1,907 at the 2011 census, living in 373 households in Gidderbaha tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district.

What facilities does Bidowali have?

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