Nihal Kheraਨਿਹਲ ਖੇਰਾ

Where is Nihal Khera?

Nihal Khera is a village of Abohar tehsil in Fazilka district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Abohar, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Khuian Sarwar community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035143, and it covers 1,425 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 5,394 people in Nihal Khera: 2,940 men and 2,454 women, living in 970 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 1,425 hectares, the population density works out to about 379 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 835 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 734, about 14 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,490 people, about 28 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 69.01 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 78.21 per cent and women at 58.09 per cent. The census recorded 2,070 workers, about 38 per cent of the village. Of the 1,933 main workers, the largest group, 1,074, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 461 other workers in trade, transport and services and 385 cultivators on their own land. A further 137 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Nihal Khera's land. Of the village's 1,425 hectares, 1,311 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (1,311 hectares). About 114 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. The census recorded 397 cultivators and 1,189 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, 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 its own post office. It also had a PDS ration shop, mobile phone coverage and an internet common service centre. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Nihal Khera is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Abohar, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Abohar, the tehsil headquarters, and Fazilka town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dangar Khera, Chuhriwala Dhana and Patrewala.

What is the population of Nihal Khera?

The population of Nihal Khera was 5,394 at the 2011 census, living in 970 households in Abohar tehsil of Fazilka district.

What facilities does Nihal Khera have?

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