Asalਅਸਲ

Where is Asal?

Asal is a village of Firozpur tehsil in Ferozepur district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Firozpur, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Firozpur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 034591, and it covers 257 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,458 people in Asal: 760 men and 698 women, living in 294 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 257 hectares, the population density works out to about 567 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 918 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 224, about 15 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 963 people, about 66 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 61.1 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 67.07 per cent and women at 54.33 per cent. The census recorded 715 workers, about 49 per cent of the village. Of the 339 main workers, the largest group, 172, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 116 cultivators on their own land and 51 agricultural labourers. A further 376 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Asal's land. Of the village's 257 hectares, 215 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (31 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (184 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 118 cultivators and 177 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 and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Asal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Firozpur, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Firozpur, the tehsil headquarters, and Ferozepur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Shahdinwala, Baghel Singhwala, Rajiwala and Hakewala.

What is the population of Asal?

The population of Asal was 1,458 at the 2011 census, living in 294 households in Firozpur tehsil of Ferozepur district.

What facilities does Asal have?

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