Shahwalaਸ਼ਾਹਵਾਲਾ

Where is Shahwala?

Shahwala is a village in Zira tehsil of Ferozepur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Zira, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Zira community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 034377, and it covers 481 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,458 people in Shahwala: 764 men and 694 women, living in 252 households, an average of about 5.8 people per household. Spread over its 481 hectares, the population density works out to about 303 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 908 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 187, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 709 people, about 49 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.29 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.93 per cent and women at 62.28 per cent. The census recorded 928 workers, about 64 per cent of the village. Of the 418 main workers, the largest group, 199, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 157 agricultural labourers and 47 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 510 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Shahwala's land. Of the village's 481 hectares, 434 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (434 hectares). About 47 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 579 cultivators and 269 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, mobile phone coverage and an internet common service centre. 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Shahwala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Zira, about 8 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 Machhiwara, Bundala Nau, Boola and Maloke.

What is the population of Shahwala?

The population of Shahwala was 1,458 at the 2011 census, living in 252 households in Zira tehsil of Ferozepur district.

What facilities does Shahwala have?

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