Ghasਘਸ

Where is Ghas?

Ghas is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Batala, about 15 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 028640, and it covers 168 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 932 people in Ghas: 498 men and 434 women, living in 167 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 168 hectares, the population density works out to about 555 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 871 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 113, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 227 people, about 24 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 80.34 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 84.46 per cent and women at 75.47 per cent. The census recorded 418 workers, about 45 per cent of the village. Of the 314 main workers, the largest group, 129, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 122 agricultural labourers and 58 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 104 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Ghas's land. Of the village's 168 hectares, 160 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (50 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (110 hectares). Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. The census recorded 133 cultivators and 198 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. 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

Ghas 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 15 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than 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 Kaler, Dhia, Tara and Bhamboi.

What is the population of Ghas?

The population of Ghas was 932 at the 2011 census, living in 167 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Ghas have?

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