Hirkeਹਿਰਕੇ

Where is Hirke?

Hirke is a village of Sardulgarh tehsil in Mansa district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Sardulgarh, about 18 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sardulgarh community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035973, and it covers 937 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,577 people in Hirke: 1,346 men and 1,231 women, living in 491 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 937 hectares, the population density works out to about 275 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 915 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 327, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,146 people, about 44 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 58.58 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 66.01 per cent and women at 50.55 per cent. The census recorded 1,233 workers, about 48 per cent of the village. Of the 753 main workers, the largest group, 399, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 282 agricultural labourers and 61 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 480 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Hirke's land. Of the village's 937 hectares, 833 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 752 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (700 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (52 hectares). About 104 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 417 cultivators and 484 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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. 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

Hirke is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sardulgarh, about 18 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 Baran, Jhanduke, Karipur Dumb and Alike.

What is the population of Hirke?

The population of Hirke was 2,577 at the 2011 census, living in 491 households in Sardulgarh tehsil of Mansa district.

What facilities does Hirke have?

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