Balਬਾਲ

Where is Bal?

Bal is a village of Dera Baba Nanak tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Dera Baba Nanak, about 3 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dera Baba Nanak community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028966, and it covers 92 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 179 people in Bal: 94 men and 85 women, living in 32 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 92 hectares, the population density works out to about 195 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 904 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 32, about 18 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 0 people, about 0 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 63.95 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 68.83 per cent and women at 58.57 per cent. The census recorded 54 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 44 main workers, the largest group, 23, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 17 other workers in trade, transport and services and 4 agricultural labourers. A further 10 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 92 hectares, 84 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (84 hectares). About 8 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 24 cultivators and 5 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.

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

Bal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Dera Baba Nanak, about 3 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Dera Baba Nanak, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Mulowali, Pakhoke Mehmaran, Mangian and Veroke.

What is the population of Bal?

The population of Bal was 179 at the 2011 census, living in 32 households in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Bal have?

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