Dakhaਦਾਖਾ

Where is Dakha?

Dakha is a village in Ludhiana West tehsil of Ludhiana district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Mullanpur Dakha, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Ludhiana-I community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033662, and it covers 1,575 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 6,321 people in Dakha: 3,294 men and 3,027 women, living in 1,270 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 1,575 hectares, the population density works out to about 401 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 919 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 637, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,959 people, about 31 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 80.79 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.99 per cent and women at 77.33 per cent. The census recorded 2,199 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 2,119 main workers, the largest group, 1,174, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 516 cultivators on their own land and 349 agricultural labourers. A further 80 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Dakha's land. Of the village's 1,575 hectares, 1,358 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (68 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (1,291 hectares). About 217 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 524 cultivators and 366 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 an allopathic hospital and a dispensary. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Dakha is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Mullanpur Dakha, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Ludhiana West, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Gahaur, Kailpur, Bains and Changan.

What is the population of Dakha?

The population of Dakha was 6,321 at the 2011 census, living in 1,270 households in Ludhiana West tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Dakha have?

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