Shankarਸ਼ਂਕਰ

Where is Shankar?

Shankar is a village of Nakodar tehsil in Jalandhar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Nakodar, about 6 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 029947, and it covers 953 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 5,639 people in Shankar: 2,900 men and 2,739 women, living in 1,186 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 953 hectares, the population density works out to about 592 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 944 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 538, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 2,238 people, about 40 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 83 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 87.27 per cent and women at 78.54 per cent. The census recorded 1,877 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 1,674 main workers, the largest group, 1,203, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 344 cultivators on their own land and 68 agricultural labourers. A further 203 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Shankar's land. Of the village's 953 hectares, 830 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (830 hectares). About 123 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 349 cultivators and 79 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, 2 government middle schools, 2 government secondary schools and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. 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 sub-centre, an allopathic hospital, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 commercial bank branch, a cooperative bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Shankar is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Nakodar, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the village has its own railway station. Nakodar, the tehsil headquarters, and Jalandhar town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Sarih, Sharakpur, Leel and Muzaffarpur.

What is the population of Shankar?

The population of Shankar was 5,639 at the 2011 census, living in 1,186 households in Nakodar tehsil of Jalandhar district.

What facilities does Shankar have?

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