Kastiwalਕਸਟਿਵਲ

Where is Kastiwal?

Kastiwal 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 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Fatehgarh Churian community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028780, and it covers 410 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,535 people in Kastiwal: 805 men and 730 women, living in 294 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 410 hectares, the population density works out to about 374 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 907 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 175, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 193 people, about 13 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 64.71 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 69.28 per cent and women at 59.66 per cent. The census recorded 473 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 453 main workers, the largest group, 280, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 133 cultivators on their own land and 36 agricultural labourers. A further 20 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Kastiwal's land. Of the village's 410 hectares, 348 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (122 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (198 hectares). About 60 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 137 cultivators and 43 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health centre, a primary health sub-centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. The village had its own 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 more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Kastiwal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Batala, about 8 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 Dabanwala, Gujjarpura, Burj Araian and Kular.

What is the population of Kastiwal?

The population of Kastiwal was 1,535 at the 2011 census, living in 294 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Kastiwal have?

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