Shekha Mattaਸ਼ੇਖਾ ਮੱਟਾ

Where is Shekha Matta?

Shekha Matta is a village of Mukerian tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Mukerian, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Hazipur community development block and is served by the Shekha-Matta gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031106, and it covers 90 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 501 people in Shekha Matta: 259 men and 242 women, living in 113 households, an average of about 4.4 people per household. Spread over its 90 hectares, the population density works out to about 557 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 934 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 33, about 7 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 88 people, about 18 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 89.74 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 92.05 per cent and women at 87.34 per cent. The census recorded 152 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 145 main workers, the largest group, 82, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 63 cultivators on their own land. A further 7 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Shekha Matta's land. Of the village's 90 hectares, 60 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 44 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (44 hectares). About 30 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 65 cultivators and 1 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. 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. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Shekha Matta is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a public bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Mukerian, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Mukerian, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Bharath, Ghagwal, Jugial and Kando Karora.

What is the population of Shekha Matta?

The population of Shekha Matta was 501 at the 2011 census, living in 113 households in Mukerian tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Shekha Matta have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Shekha Matta has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.