Balotarਬਲੋਟਰ

Where is Balotar?

Balotar is a village in Pathankot tehsil of Pathankot district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Pathankot, about 28 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Bamial community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 027688, and it covers 108 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 262 people in Balotar: 137 men and 125 women, living in 59 households, an average of about 4.4 people per household. Spread over its 108 hectares, the population density works out to about 243 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 912 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 34, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 164 people, about 63 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 79.82 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 83.33 per cent and women at 75.93 per cent. The census recorded 66 workers, about 25 per cent of the village. Of the 60 main workers, the largest group, 36, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 24 cultivators on their own land. A further 6 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balotar's land. Of the village's 108 hectares, 101 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (45 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (56 hectares). About 7 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 25 cultivators and 1 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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. 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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Balotar is reached by village roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Pathankot, about 28 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Pathankot, the tehsil headquarters, and Pathankot, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kot Bhattian, Dulo Bhalial, Sarota and Gohla.

What is the population of Balotar?

The population of Balotar was 262 at the 2011 census, living in 59 households in Pathankot tehsil of Pathankot district.

What facilities does Balotar have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Balotar has government schools from primary to middle school level. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.