Sotalਸੋਟਲ

Where is Sotal?

Sotal is a village in Morinda tehsil of Rupnagar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Puadh region, and the 2011 directory recorded Kurali, about 6 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Morinda community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 038910, and it covers 362 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,539 people in Sotal: 818 men and 721 women, living in 292 households, an average of about 5.3 people per household. Spread over its 362 hectares, the population density works out to about 425 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 881 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 176, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 172 people, about 11 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 82.32 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 88.39 per cent and women at 75.8 per cent. The census recorded 480 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 369 main workers, the largest group, 230, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 109 cultivators on their own land and 18 household industry workers. A further 111 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sotal's land. Of the village's 362 hectares, 334 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 332 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (332 hectares). About 25 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 112 cultivators and 37 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 anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a dispensary. 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 15 hours a day.

Getting there

Sotal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was five to ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Kurali, about 6 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Morinda, the tehsil headquarters, and Rupnagar city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dhanauri, Kakrali, Kainaur and Bamnara.

What is the population of Sotal?

The population of Sotal was 1,539 at the 2011 census, living in 292 households in Morinda tehsil of Rupnagar district.

What facilities does Sotal have?

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