Dhotian

Where is Dhotian?

Dhotian is a large village in Tarn Taran tehsil of Tarn Taran district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, about 12 kilometres from Tarn Taran town, the tehsil and district headquarters and its nearest town. The village falls in the Naushera Pannuan community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 037961, and it covers 1,490 hectares of the Majha plain.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 7,661 people in Dhotian: 3,991 men and 3,670 women, living in 1,477 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 1,490 hectares, the population density works out to about 514 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 920 women for every 1,000 men, higher than the district average. Children up to the age of six numbered 897, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 2,745 people, about 35.8 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 67.95 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.23 per cent and women at 62.2 per cent. The census recorded 2,857 workers, about 37 per cent of the village. Of the 2,332 main workers, 947 were in other work such as trade, transport and services, the largest single group, followed by 816 cultivators working their own land and 407 agricultural labourers. A further 525 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year, most of them in seasonal work outside farming.

Land and farming

Farming still shapes Dhotian, but on a large canvas. Of the village's 1,490 hectares, 1,341 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated: canals watered 1,103 hectares and wells and tube wells the remaining 238 hectares. About 149 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as housing, roads and ponds, a share that reflects the size of the settlement itself. Farm power supply was recorded at nine hours a day.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities, and Dhotian's record is a strong one for a village. Education runs from one government primary school and two government middle schools to a government secondary school and a government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. An anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker were also recorded.

For health care, the directory recorded one primary health centre and one dispensary in the village, along with a veterinary hospital for livestock. The village had its own post office, a cooperative bank and a PDS ration shop, though no commercial bank branch or ATM; the nearest commercial banks were more than ten kilometres away in the 2011 record. Drinking water came from untreated tap water, and a community toilet complex was recorded. Public and private bus services both ran in the village, and domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Dhotian is about 12 kilometres from Tarn Taran town, its tehsil and district headquarters, reached by an all-weather road. The 2011 directory recorded public and private bus services in the village itself. Tarn Taran town remains the practical hub for the village, with the district offices, higher education and onward road and rail connections; the nearest railway station was recorded more than ten kilometres away.

What is the population of Dhotian?

The population of Dhotian was 7,661 at the 2011 census, living in 1,477 households. It is one of the larger villages of Tarn Taran tehsil.

What facilities does Dhotian have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Dhotian has government schools from primary to senior secondary level, a primary health centre, a dispensary, a post office, a cooperative bank and an anganwadi centre. It had no commercial bank branch or ATM inside the village in that record.