Udhowalਉਧੋਵਲ

Where is Udhowal?

Udhowal 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 6 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 028750, and it covers 151 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,279 people in Udhowal: 670 men and 609 women, living in 240 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 151 hectares, the population density works out to about 847 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 909 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 149, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 331 people, about 26 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 73.89 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.52 per cent and women at 68.98 per cent. The census recorded 342 workers, about 27 per cent of the village. Of the 332 main workers, the largest group, 246, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 77 cultivators on their own land and 8 agricultural labourers. A further 10 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Udhowal's land. Of the village's 151 hectares, 135 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (135 hectares). About 16 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 77 cultivators and 8 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. It also had 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

Udhowal is reached by village roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Batala, about 6 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 Dialgarh, Khokhar (228), Malludawara and Kotli Phassi.

What is the population of Udhowal?

The population of Udhowal was 1,279 at the 2011 census, living in 240 households in Batala tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Udhowal have?

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