Achharwalਅਛਰਵਾਲ

Where is Achharwal?

Achharwal is a village of Garhshankar tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 17 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Mahilpur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031808, and it covers 186 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 982 people in Achharwal: 493 men and 489 women, living in 218 households, an average of about 4.5 people per household. Spread over its 186 hectares, the population density works out to about 528 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 992 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 93, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 485 people, about 49 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 82.11 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 86.2 per cent and women at 78.08 per cent. The census recorded 320 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 189 main workers, the largest group, 109, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 61 cultivators on their own land and 16 agricultural labourers. A further 131 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Achharwal's land. Of the village's 186 hectares, 104 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (104 hectares). About 17 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 12 hours a day. With 62 cultivators and 54 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Achharwal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 17 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Garhshankar, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kalewal, Hakumatpur, Khararawal Bassi and Sarhala Khurd.

What is the population of Achharwal?

The population of Achharwal was 982 at the 2011 census, living in 218 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Achharwal have?

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