Pakhowalਪੱਖੋਵਾਲ

Where is Pakhowal?

Pakhowal is a village of Raikot tehsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Raikot, about 15 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 033706, and it covers 964 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 4,964 people in Pakhowal: 2,614 men and 2,350 women, living in 1,004 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 964 hectares, the population density works out to about 515 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 899 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 519, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,978 people, about 40 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 74.87 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 79.14 per cent and women at 70.11 per cent. The census recorded 1,712 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 1,424 main workers, the largest group, 531, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 436 cultivators on their own land and 379 agricultural labourers. A further 288 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Pakhowal's land. Of the village's 964 hectares, 919 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (360 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (559 hectares). About 45 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. The census recorded 462 cultivators and 476 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 primary health centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Pakhowal 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 15 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than 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 Leel, Dangon, Abuwal and Shahpur.

What is the population of Pakhowal?

The population of Pakhowal was 4,964 at the 2011 census, living in 1,004 households in Raikot tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Pakhowal have?

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