Balanਬਲਨ

Where is Balan?

Balan is a village in Patiala tehsil of Patiala district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Sanaur, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Sanaur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 036802, and it covers 198 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 842 people in Balan: 450 men and 392 women, living in 148 households, an average of about 5.7 people per household. Spread over its 198 hectares, the population density works out to about 425 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 871 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 100, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 98 people, about 12 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 68.6 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 77.22 per cent and women at 58.79 per cent. The census recorded 300 workers, about 36 per cent of the village. Of the 275 main workers, the largest group, 120, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 77 other workers in trade, transport and services and 75 agricultural labourers. A further 25 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balan's land. Of the village's 198 hectares, 184 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (184 hectares). About 14 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 124 cultivators and 94 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. 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. It also had 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Balan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sanaur, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Patiala, the tehsil headquarters, and Patiala, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Balamgarh, Lalina, Bhankhar and Bolar Kalan.

What is the population of Balan?

The population of Balan was 842 at the 2011 census, living in 148 households in Patiala tehsil of Patiala district.

What facilities does Balan have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Balan has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.