Begowalਬੇਗੋਵਲ

Where is Begowal?

Begowal is a village of Payal tehsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Doraha, about 4 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Doraha community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033359, and it covers 466 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,363 people in Begowal: 1,749 men and 1,614 women, living in 685 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 466 hectares, the population density works out to about 722 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 923 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 345, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,032 people, about 31 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 79.95 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 85.19 per cent and women at 74.4 per cent. The census recorded 1,185 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 1,145 main workers, the largest group, 640, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 305 cultivators on their own land and 142 agricultural labourers. A further 40 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Begowal's land. Of the village's 466 hectares, 428 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (428 hectares). About 37 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 313 cultivators and 150 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 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health sub-centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had 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

Begowal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Doraha, about 4 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Payal, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Haraichan, Katana, Jaipura and Rampur.

What is the population of Begowal?

The population of Begowal was 3,363 at the 2011 census, living in 685 households in Payal tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Begowal have?

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