Balnauਬਲਨੌ

Where is Balnau?

Balnau is a village in Shahkot tehsil of Jalandhar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Shahkot, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Nakodar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 029862, and it covers 143 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 817 people in Balnau: 443 men and 374 women, living in 145 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 143 hectares, the population density works out to about 571 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 844 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 79, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 460 people, about 56 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 72.22 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 76.83 per cent and women at 66.86 per cent. The census recorded 290 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 272 main workers, the largest group, 138, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 88 cultivators on their own land and 44 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 18 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balnau's land. Of the village's 143 hectares, 127 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (127 hectares). About 16 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 91 cultivators and 148 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. 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. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Balnau is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Shahkot, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Shahkot, the tehsil headquarters, and Jalandhar town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Ida, Paraliwala and Mehmadpur.

What is the population of Balnau?

The population of Balnau was 817 at the 2011 census, living in 145 households in Shahkot tehsil of Jalandhar district.

What facilities does Balnau have?

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