Khichianਖਿਚਿਆਂ

Where is Khichian?

Khichian 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 028274, and it covers 60 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 932 people in Khichian: 496 men and 436 women, living in 176 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 60 hectares, the population density works out to about 1,553 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 879 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 83, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 466 people, about 50 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 76.8 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 81.03 per cent and women at 72.07 per cent. The census recorded 657 workers, about 70 per cent of the village. Of the 585 main workers, the largest group, 219, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 190 other workers in trade, transport and services and 162 agricultural labourers. A further 72 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Khichian's land. Of the village's 60 hectares, 52 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (52 hectares). About 8 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 225 cultivators and 168 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 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

Khichian 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 Lakhanpal, Dhariwal, Narad and Jattuwal.

What is the population of Khichian?

The population of Khichian was 932 at the 2011 census, living in 176 households in Dinanagar tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Khichian have?

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