Balਬਾਲ

Where is Bal?

Bal is a village of Zira tehsil in Ferozepur district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Makhu, about 9 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Makhu community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 034224, and it covers 232 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 492 people in Bal: 252 men and 240 women, living in 103 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 232 hectares, the population density works out to about 212 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 952 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 32, about 7 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 79 people, about 16 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.7 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 71.61 per cent and women at 65.62 per cent. The census recorded 163 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 139 main workers, the largest group, 121, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 9 agricultural labourers and 9 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 24 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bal's land. Of the village's 232 hectares, 216 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (216 hectares). Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. With 123 cultivators and 25 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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. It also had mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a cooperative bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was more than ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Makhu, about 9 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Zira, the tehsil headquarters, and Ferozepur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Jhanda Bagga Nawan, Buh Gujran and Lalleh.

What is the population of Bal?

The population of Bal was 492 at the 2011 census, living in 103 households in Zira tehsil of Ferozepur district.

What facilities does Bal have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bal has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre.