Dhiraਧਿਰਾ

Where is Dhira?

Dhira is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Batala, about 15 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Qadian community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028610, and it covers 273 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,026 people in Dhira: 542 men and 484 women, living in 191 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 273 hectares, the population density works out to about 376 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 893 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 128, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 375 people, about 37 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 75.06 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 81.62 per cent and women at 67.91 per cent. The census recorded 606 workers, about 59 per cent of the village. Of the 520 main workers, the largest group, 233, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 178 cultivators on their own land and 80 household industry workers. A further 86 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Dhira's land. Of the village's 273 hectares, 214 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (214 hectares). About 42 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 188 cultivators and 235 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Dhira is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Batala, about 15 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Batala, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Ainokot, Kohali, Chone and Madra.

What is the population of Dhira?

The population of Dhira was 1,026 at the 2011 census, living in 191 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Dhira have?

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