Mahalaਮਹਲਾ

Where is Mahala?

Mahala is a village in Amargarh tehsil of Malerkotla district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Malerkotla, about 23 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Malerkotla-I community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 039520, and it covers 181 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 679 people in Mahala: 368 men and 311 women, living in 140 households, an average of about 4.8 people per household. Spread over its 181 hectares, the population density works out to about 375 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 845 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 53, about 8 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 291 people, about 43 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 67.73 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 72.65 per cent and women at 61.89 per cent. The census recorded 255 workers, about 38 per cent of the village. Of the 250 main workers, the largest group, 115, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 80 cultivators on their own land and 51 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 5 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Mahala's land. Of the village's 181 hectares, 161 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (94 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (67 hectares). About 17 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. The census recorded 85 cultivators and 115 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. 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 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Mahala is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Malerkotla, about 23 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Amargarh, the tehsil headquarters, and Malerkotla town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kheri Sodhian, Mahali, Mola Badha and Rampur Chhana.

What is the population of Mahala?

The population of Mahala was 679 at the 2011 census, living in 140 households in Amargarh tehsil of Malerkotla district.

What facilities does Mahala have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Mahala has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre.