Handesraਹਂਡੇਸਰਾ

Where is Handesra?

Handesra is a village in Dera Bassi tehsil of SAS Nagar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Puadh region, and the 2011 directory recorded Ambala, about 24 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dera Bassi community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 039276, and it covers 486 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,929 people in Handesra: 1,011 men and 918 women, living in 357 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 486 hectares, the population density works out to about 397 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 908 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 223, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 458 people, about 24 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 71.81 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 79.55 per cent and women at 63.36 per cent. The census recorded 595 workers, about 31 per cent of the village. Of the 580 main workers, the largest group, 346, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 167 cultivators on their own land and 57 agricultural labourers. A further 15 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Handesra's land. Of the village's 486 hectares, 275 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 153 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (153 hectares). About 178 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 172 cultivators and 58 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, one government middle school and one government secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health sub-centre, a dispensary and a veterinary hospital. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had a sub post office. It also had mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Handesra is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Ambala, about 24 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Dera Bassi, the tehsil headquarters, and Mohali, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Sarangpur, Seehpur, Jodhpur and Rani Majra.

What is the population of Handesra?

The population of Handesra was 1,929 at the 2011 census, living in 357 households in Dera Bassi tehsil of SAS Nagar district.

What facilities does Handesra have?

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