Machhiwaraਮਾਛੀਵਾੜਾ

Where is Machhiwara?

Machhiwara is a village in Firozpur tehsil of Ferozepur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Firozpur, about 7 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Firozpur community development block and is served by the Machhiwara 104 gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 034620, and it covers 118 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,353 people in Machhiwara: 687 men and 666 women, living in 208 households, an average of about 6.5 people per household. Spread over its 118 hectares, the population density works out to about 1,147 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 969 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 186, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 508 people, about 38 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 63.84 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 71.38 per cent and women at 55.83 per cent. The census recorded 430 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 407 main workers, the largest group, 180, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 147 agricultural labourers and 47 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 23 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machhiwara's land. Of the village's 118 hectares, 109 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (109 hectares). About 9 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 9 hours a day. With 184 cultivators and 166 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Machhiwara 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 7 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 Lamochar, Pir Ismail Khanwala, Ali Aulakh and Habibwala.

What is the population of Machhiwara?

The population of Machhiwara was 1,353 at the 2011 census, living in 208 households in Firozpur tehsil of Ferozepur district.

What facilities does Machhiwara have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Machhiwara has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.