Kharalਖਰਲ

Where is Kharal?

Kharal is a village of Dinanagar tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Gurdaspur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028182, and it covers 172 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,030 people in Kharal: 511 men and 519 women, living in 206 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 172 hectares, the population density works out to about 599 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1016 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 97, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 339 people, about 33 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 84.99 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 90.17 per cent and women at 80 per cent. The census recorded 296 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 263 main workers, the largest group, 135, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 51 agricultural labourers and 46 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 33 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Kharal's land. Of the village's 172 hectares, 159 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 153 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (153 hectares). About 12 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 143 cultivators and 64 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. 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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Kharal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Dinanagar, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Gandhian, Chulla, Bhola and Maddowal.

What is the population of Kharal?

The population of Kharal was 1,030 at the 2011 census, living in 206 households in Dinanagar tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Kharal have?

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