Bakhshiwalaਬਖਸ਼ੀਵਾਲਾ

Where is Bakhshiwala?

Bakhshiwala is a village of Kalanaur tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Dhariwal, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Kalanour community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028025, and it covers 234 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,354 people in Bakhshiwala: 718 men and 636 women, living in 257 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 234 hectares, the population density works out to about 579 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 886 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 179, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 18 people, about 1 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 78.13 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.01 per cent and women at 72.82 per cent. The census recorded 364 workers, about 27 per cent of the village. Of the 353 main workers, the largest group, 157, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 145 other workers in trade, transport and services and 46 agricultural labourers. A further 11 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bakhshiwala's land. Of the village's 234 hectares, 225 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (225 hectares). About 9 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 157 cultivators and 51 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, 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. It also had mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bakhshiwala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Dhariwal, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Kalanaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Mahal, Sangatpur and Talwandi Raja Dina Nath.

What is the population of Bakhshiwala?

The population of Bakhshiwala was 1,354 at the 2011 census, living in 257 households in Kalanaur tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Bakhshiwala have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bakhshiwala has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre.