Machraiਮਚਰੈ

Where is Machrai?

Machrai is a village of Batala tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Sri Hargobindpur, about 3 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sri Hargobindpur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028549, and it covers 151 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,113 people in Machrai: 576 men and 537 women, living in 229 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 151 hectares, the population density works out to about 737 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 932 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 155, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 557 people, about 50 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 73.7 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.67 per cent and women at 62.99 per cent. The census recorded 651 workers, about 58 per cent of the village. Of the 493 main workers, the largest group, 320, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 74 cultivators on their own land and 53 household industry workers. A further 158 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machrai's land. Of the village's 151 hectares, 132 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (132 hectares). About 19 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 79 cultivators and 56 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had a PDS ration shop, mobile phone coverage and an internet common service centre. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Machrai is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sri Hargobindpur, about 3 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 Mari Buchian, Pejo Chak, Nahra and Sokala.

What is the population of Machrai?

The population of Machrai was 1,113 at the 2011 census, living in 229 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Machrai have?

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