Virkਵਿਰਕ

Where is Virk?

Virk is a village of Jagraon tehsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Jagraon, about 14 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sidhwan Bet community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033803, and it covers 604 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,617 people in Virk: 825 men and 792 women, living in 324 households, an average of about 5.0 people per household. Spread over its 604 hectares, the population density works out to about 268 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 960 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 118, about 7 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 456 people, about 28 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 78.25 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 84.01 per cent and women at 72.19 per cent. The census recorded 1,041 workers, about 64 per cent of the village. Of the 988 main workers, the largest group, 451, were household industry workers, ahead of 211 cultivators on their own land and 178 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 53 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Virk's land. Of the village's 604 hectares, 544 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (14 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (530 hectares). About 1 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 4 hours a day. With 218 cultivators and 155 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 and one government secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. 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

Virk is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Jagraon, about 14 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Jagraon, the tehsil headquarters, and Ludhiana city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Barsal, Swaddi Kalan, Bazurg and Talwandi Kalan (Jagraon).

What is the population of Virk?

The population of Virk was 1,617 at the 2011 census, living in 324 households in Jagraon tehsil of Ludhiana district.

What facilities does Virk have?

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