Achalਅਚਲ

Where is Achal?

Achal is a village of Nabha tehsil in Patiala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Nabha, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Nabha community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 036373, and it covers 501 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,470 people in Achal: 796 men and 674 women, living in 288 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 501 hectares, the population density works out to about 293 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 847 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 136, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 531 people, about 36 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 70.76 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 76.16 per cent and women at 64.57 per cent. The census recorded 478 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 439 main workers, the largest group, 252, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 140 cultivators on their own land and 44 agricultural labourers. A further 39 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Achal's land. Of the village's 501 hectares, 443 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (7 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (436 hectares). About 42 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 141 cultivators and 51 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 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Achal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Nabha, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Nabha, the tehsil headquarters, and Patiala, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kot Khurd, Hassanpur, Hari nagar and Tungan.

What is the population of Achal?

The population of Achal was 1,470 at the 2011 census, living in 288 households in Nabha tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Achal have?

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