Saraiਸਰਾਏ

Where is Sarai?

Sarai is a village in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 9 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Gurdaspur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028149, and it covers 207 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 864 people in Sarai: 459 men and 405 women, living in 170 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 207 hectares, the population density works out to about 417 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 882 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 99, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 5 people, about 1 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 77.12 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 82.02 per cent and women at 71.59 per cent. The census recorded 304 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 249 main workers, the largest group, 119, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 103 other workers in trade, transport and services and 27 agricultural labourers. A further 55 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sarai's land. Of the village's 207 hectares, 185 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 163 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (163 hectares). About 22 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 121 cultivators and 62 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. The village had a sub post office. 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

Sarai is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 9 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Gurdaspur, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Maseet, Dakhla, Lakhowal and Hassanpur.

What is the population of Sarai?

The population of Sarai was 864 at the 2011 census, living in 170 households in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Sarai have?

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