Sakhowalਸਖੋਵਲ

Where is Sakhowal?

Sakhowal is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Qadian, about 12 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 028562, and it covers 400 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,560 people in Sakhowal: 799 men and 761 women, living in 303 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 400 hectares, the population density works out to about 390 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 952 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 195, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 575 people, about 37 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 70.4 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 73.51 per cent and women at 67.26 per cent. The census recorded 613 workers, about 39 per cent of the village. Of the 267 main workers, the largest group, 179, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 44 agricultural labourers and 32 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 346 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sakhowal's land. Of the village's 400 hectares, 364 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (159 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (205 hectares). About 36 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. The census recorded 220 cultivators and 276 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. 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 a PDS ration shop and 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Sakhowal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Qadian, about 12 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 Chinna Veeran, Chak Bhagtupur, Khojala and Udhanwal.

What is the population of Sakhowal?

The population of Sakhowal was 1,560 at the 2011 census, living in 303 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Sakhowal have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Sakhowal has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.