Ghurkaਘੁਰਕਾ

Where is Ghurka?

Ghurka is a village in Phillaur tehsil of Jalandhar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Goraya, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Rurka Kalan community development block and is served by the Ghurka ,Loharan gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 030213, and it covers 924 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,924 people in Ghurka: 1,513 men and 1,411 women, living in 627 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 924 hectares, the population density works out to about 316 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 933 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 271, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,695 people, about 58 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 76.18 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.4 per cent and women at 73.76 per cent. The census recorded 1,099 workers, about 38 per cent of the village. Of the 736 main workers, the largest group, 495, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 160 cultivators on their own land and 46 household industry workers. A further 363 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Ghurka's land. Of the village's 924 hectares, 844 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (844 hectares). About 80 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 168 cultivators and 39 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. Education in the village runs through 2 government primary schools and one government secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre, a primary health centre and a dispensary. The village had its own post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a cooperative bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Ghurka is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Goraya, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Phillaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Jalandhar town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Surja, Randhawa, Dhesian Sang and Bir Bansian.

What is the population of Ghurka?

The population of Ghurka was 2,924 at the 2011 census, living in 627 households in Phillaur tehsil of Jalandhar district.

What facilities does Ghurka have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Ghurka has government schools from primary to secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a post office.