Parachaਪਰਚਾ

Where is Paracha?

Paracha is a village in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Ramdas, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Fatehgarh Churian community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028952, and it covers 162 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 793 people in Paracha: 412 men and 381 women, living in 157 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 162 hectares, the population density works out to about 490 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 925 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 105, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 47 people, about 6 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 71.8 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.53 per cent and women at 64.67 per cent. The census recorded 212 workers, about 27 per cent of the village. Of the 199 main workers, the largest group, 99, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 81 other workers in trade, transport and services and 15 agricultural labourers. A further 13 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Paracha's land. Of the village's 162 hectares, 154 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 148 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (75 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (73 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 101 cultivators and 15 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had its own post office. 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

Paracha is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Ramdas, about 12 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 Kotli Viran, Loharanwali, Malewal and Samrai.

What is the population of Paracha?

The population of Paracha was 793 at the 2011 census, living in 157 households in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Paracha have?

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