Sothianaਸੋਥਿਆਨਾ

Where is Sothiana?

Sothiana is a village of Hoshiarpur tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 9 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Hoshiarpur-I community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031617, and it covers 156 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 586 people in Sothiana: 282 men and 304 women, living in 122 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 156 hectares, the population density works out to about 376 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1078 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 54, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 225 people, about 38 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 84.4 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 87.45 per cent and women at 81.59 per cent. The census recorded 162 workers, about 28 per cent of the village. Of the 155 main workers, the largest group, 70, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 46 other workers in trade, transport and services and 31 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 Sothiana's land. Of the village's 156 hectares, 131 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 117 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (117 hectares). About 25 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 4 hours a day. The census recorded 31 cultivators and 75 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, 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 a PDS ration shop and 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

Sothiana is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Hoshiarpur, about 9 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 Asalpur, Bains Khurd, Pandori Khajoor and Charial.

What is the population of Sothiana?

The population of Sothiana was 586 at the 2011 census, living in 122 households in Hoshiarpur tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Sothiana have?

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