Sheikhaਸ਼ੇਇਖਾ

Where is Sheikha?

Sheikha is a village in Dinanagar tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 8 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 028145, and it covers 345 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,598 people in Sheikha: 834 men and 764 women, living in 297 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 345 hectares, the population density works out to about 463 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 916 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 174, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 6 people, about 0 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 66.08 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 71.2 per cent and women at 60.39 per cent. The census recorded 541 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 432 main workers, the largest group, 184, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 140 other workers in trade, transport and services and 104 agricultural labourers. A further 109 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sheikha's land. Of the village's 345 hectares, 320 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 295 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (195 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (100 hectares). About 25 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 4 hours a day. With 188 cultivators and 121 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 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. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Sheikha is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Gurdaspur, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Dinanagar, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Magar Mudian.

What is the population of Sheikha?

The population of Sheikha was 1,598 at the 2011 census, living in 297 households in Dinanagar tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Sheikha have?

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