Machharalaਮਛਰਲਾ

Where is Machharala?

Machharala is a village of Dera Baba Nanak tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Dera Baba Nanak, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dera Baba Nanak community development block and is served by the Machhrala gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028934, and it covers 113 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 500 people in Machharala: 280 men and 220 women, living in 88 households, an average of about 5.7 people per household. Spread over its 113 hectares, the population density works out to about 442 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 786 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 59, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 6 people, about 1 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 70.75 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 75.1 per cent and women at 65.5 per cent. The census recorded 172 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 166 main workers, the largest group, 94, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 67 cultivators on their own land and 5 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 6 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machharala's land. Of the village's 113 hectares, 97 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (61 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (36 hectares). About 16 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 69 cultivators and 95 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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

Machharala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Dera Baba Nanak, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Dera Baba Nanak, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Agwan, Man, Chandu Nangal and Khalilpur.

What is the population of Machharala?

The population of Machharala was 500 at the 2011 census, living in 88 households in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Machharala have?

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