Bhalaikeਭਲੈਕੇ

Where is Bhalaike?

Bhalaike is a village of Sardulgarh tehsil in Mansa district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Sardulgarh, about 20 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Jhunir community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035933, and it covers 716 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,457 people in Bhalaike: 786 men and 671 women, living in 288 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 716 hectares, the population density works out to about 203 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 854 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 146, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 264 people, about 18 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 53.62 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 62.75 per cent and women at 42.71 per cent. The census recorded 480 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 452 main workers, the largest group, 341, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 91 agricultural labourers and 19 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 28 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Bhalaike's land. Of the village's 716 hectares, 672 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 500 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (500 hectares). About 44 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. With 352 cultivators and 104 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 16 hours a day.

Getting there

Bhalaike is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sardulgarh, about 20 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Sardulgarh, the tehsil headquarters, and Mansa, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Burj Bhalai, Dasundia, Aullak and Raman Mandi.

What is the population of Bhalaike?

The population of Bhalaike was 1,457 at the 2011 census, living in 288 households in Sardulgarh tehsil of Mansa district.

What facilities does Bhalaike have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Bhalaike has a government primary school, an anganwadi centre and a sub post office. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.