Machhralaਮਛਰਲਾ

Where is Machhrala?

Machhrala is a village of Dinanagar tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Dinanagar, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dinanagar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 027907, and it covers 67 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 435 people in Machhrala: 229 men and 206 women, living in 95 households, an average of about 4.6 people per household. Spread over its 67 hectares, the population density works out to about 649 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 900 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 45, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 279 people, about 64 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 84.36 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 90.05 per cent and women at 77.65 per cent. The census recorded 133 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 107 main workers, the largest group, 92, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 10 agricultural labourers and 4 cultivators on their own land. A further 26 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machhrala's land. Of the village's 67 hectares, 59 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (59 hectares). About 8 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 12 hours a day. The census recorded 7 cultivators and 10 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 mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Machhrala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Dinanagar, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the village has its own railway station. Dinanagar, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Theh Mundian, Miani Jhabelian, Khuda Dadpur and Passiyal.

What is the population of Machhrala?

The population of Machhrala was 435 at the 2011 census, living in 95 households in Dinanagar tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Machhrala have?

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