Maherna Kalanਮਹੇਰਨਾ ਕਲਾਂ

Where is Maherna Kalan?

Maherna Kalan is a village of Raikot tehsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Raikot, about 17 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Pakhowal community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033715, and it covers 675 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,495 people in Maherna Kalan: 1,333 men and 1,162 women, living in 487 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 675 hectares, the population density works out to about 370 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 872 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 209, about 8 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 649 people, about 26 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 78.83 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 82.54 per cent and women at 74.53 per cent. The census recorded 722 workers, about 29 per cent of the village. Of the 639 main workers, the largest group, 357, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 251 other workers in trade, transport and services and 22 agricultural labourers. A further 83 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Maherna Kalan's land. Of the village's 675 hectares, 604 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (292 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (312 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 358 cultivators and 47 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, 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. 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 cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Maherna Kalan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Raikot, about 17 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Raikot, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Barundi, Rachhin, Rajgarh (Raikot) and Barhampur.

What is the population of Maherna Kalan?

The population of Maherna Kalan was 2,495 at the 2011 census, living in 487 households in Raikot tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Maherna Kalan have?

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