Basraiਬਸਰੈ

Where is Basrai?

Basrai is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Qadian, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Qadian community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028527, and it covers 799 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,565 people in Basrai: 1,853 men and 1,712 women, living in 669 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 799 hectares, the population density works out to about 446 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 924 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 380, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,404 people, about 39 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 73.66 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 79.16 per cent and women at 67.73 per cent. The census recorded 1,511 workers, about 42 per cent of the village. Of the 1,061 main workers, the largest group, 374, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 342 agricultural labourers and 327 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 450 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Basrai's land. Of the village's 799 hectares, 723 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (383 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (340 hectares). About 71 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 407 cultivators and 552 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. 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. The village had a sub post office. 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Basrai is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Qadian, about 4 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 Harchowal, Dhapai, Aulakh and Bhamri.

What is the population of Basrai?

The population of Basrai was 3,565 at the 2011 census, living in 669 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Basrai have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Basrai has government schools from primary to middle school level, an anganwadi centre and a sub post office. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.