Bijaਬਿਜਾ

Where is Bija?

Bija is a village in Khanna tehsil of Ludhiana district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Payal, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Khanna community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033210, and it covers 377 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,167 people in Bija: 1,672 men and 1,495 women, living in 660 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 377 hectares, the population density works out to about 840 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 894 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 342, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,311 people, about 41 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 80.25 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.28 per cent and women at 76.81 per cent. The census recorded 1,030 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 987 main workers, the largest group, 742, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 194 cultivators on their own land and 42 agricultural labourers. A further 43 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bija's land. Of the village's 377 hectares, 306 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (306 hectares). About 71 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 196 cultivators and 42 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 one government primary school, one government middle school, one government secondary school 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 dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Bija is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Payal, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the village has its own railway station. Khanna, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Mehandipur, Mandiala Kalan, Kishangarh and Chak Sarai.

What is the population of Bija?

The population of Bija was 3,167 at the 2011 census, living in 660 households in Khanna tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Bija have?

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