Balewalਬਲੇਵਲ

Where is Balewal?

Balewal is a village of Batala tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Batala, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Batala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028763, and it covers 63 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,102 people in Balewal: 1,111 men and 991 women, living in 375 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 63 hectares, the population density works out to about 3,337 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 892 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 285, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 814 people, about 39 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 69.73 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.38 per cent and women at 65.7 per cent. The census recorded 600 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 566 main workers, the largest group, 293, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 155 cultivators on their own land and 109 agricultural labourers. A further 34 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balewal's land. Of the village's 63 hectares, 45 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (33 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (12 hectares). About 18 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 160 cultivators and 121 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 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

Balewal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Batala, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Batala, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dharamkot Bagga, Taragarh, Qila Lal Singh and Othian.

What is the population of Balewal?

The population of Balewal was 2,102 at the 2011 census, living in 375 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Balewal have?

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