Kheraਖੇਰਾ

Where is Khera?

Khera is a village of Garhshankar tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 20 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 031892, and it covers 212 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,220 people in Khera: 593 men and 627 women, living in 263 households, an average of about 4.6 people per household. Spread over its 212 hectares, the population density works out to about 575 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1057 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 115, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 695 people, about 57 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 82.44 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 89.29 per cent and women at 76.09 per cent. The census recorded 348 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 239 main workers, the largest group, 83, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 80 other workers in trade, transport and services and 67 agricultural labourers. A further 109 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Khera's land. Of the village's 212 hectares, 181 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 146 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (146 hectares). About 23 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 84 cultivators and 162 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 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. The village had its own post office. 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

Khera 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 20 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than 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 Daduwal, Nangal Kalan, Chak Kataru and Kharaudi.

What is the population of Khera?

The population of Khera was 1,220 at the 2011 census, living in 263 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Khera have?

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