Machhikeਮਛਿਕੇ

Where is Machhike?

Machhike is a village in Nihal Singh Wala tehsil of Moga district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Nihal Singhwala, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Nihal Singhwala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 033900, and it covers 1,327 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 6,411 people in Machhike: 3,411 men and 3,000 women, living in 1,264 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 1,327 hectares, the population density works out to about 483 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 880 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 661, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 2,695 people, about 42 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 63.08 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 67.59 per cent and women at 57.93 per cent. The census recorded 1,936 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 1,880 main workers, the largest group, 758, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 613 agricultural labourers and 487 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 56 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machhike's land. Of the village's 1,327 hectares, 1,138 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (439 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (699 hectares). About 94 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 774 cultivators and 639 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

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, 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.

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 a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Machhike is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Nihal Singhwala, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Nihal Singh Wala, the tehsil headquarters, and Moga city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Raman, Patti Diwana, Kussa and Himatpura.

What is the population of Machhike?

The population of Machhike was 6,411 at the 2011 census, living in 1,264 households in Nihal Singh Wala tehsil of Moga district.

What facilities does Machhike have?

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