Nikiwalਨਿਕੀਵਾਲ

Where is Nikiwal?

Nikiwal is a village of Hoshiarpur tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Hariana, about 3 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Bhunga community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031423, and it covers 127 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 402 people in Nikiwal: 213 men and 189 women, living in 87 households, an average of about 4.6 people per household. Spread over its 127 hectares, the population density works out to about 317 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 887 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 38, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 144 people, about 36 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 88.46 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 89.18 per cent and women at 87.65 per cent. The census recorded 155 workers, about 39 per cent of the village. Of the 55 main workers, the largest group, 29, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 25 cultivators on their own land and 1 household industry workers. A further 100 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Nikiwal's land. Of the village's 127 hectares, 77 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (77 hectares). About 14 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 30 cultivators and 10 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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No human health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011; a veterinary hospital served its livestock. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Nikiwal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Hariana, about 3 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Hoshiarpur, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Nangal Kanungoan, Lehal, Khanpur and Kutabpur.

What is the population of Nikiwal?

The population of Nikiwal was 402 at the 2011 census, living in 87 households in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Nikiwal have?

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