Sheikhpurਸ਼ੇਖਪੁਰ

Where is Sheikhpur?

Sheikhpur is a village in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Batala, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Batala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028723, and it covers 402 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,716 people in Sheikhpur: 897 men and 819 women, living in 333 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 402 hectares, the population density works out to about 427 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 913 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 211, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 862 people, about 50 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 73.42 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.7 per cent and women at 67.68 per cent. The census recorded 608 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 575 main workers, the largest group, 394, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 128 cultivators on their own land and 34 agricultural labourers. A further 33 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sheikhpur's land. Of the village's 402 hectares, 337 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (134 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (203 hectares). About 65 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 128 cultivators and 37 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 2 government primary schools, one government middle school, one government secondary school and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. 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. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Sheikhpur is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Batala, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Batala, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Bajjuman, Sarupwali, Chhit and Ghasitpur.

What is the population of Sheikhpur?

The population of Sheikhpur was 1,716 at the 2011 census, living in 333 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Sheikhpur have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Sheikhpur has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level and an anganwadi centre.