Balonਬਲੋਨ

Where is Balon?

Balon is a village in Nawanshahr tehsil of SBS Nagar district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Banga, about 8 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Banga community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032123, and it covers 297 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 704 people in Balon: 370 men and 334 women, living in 151 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 297 hectares, the population density works out to about 237 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 903 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 74, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 405 people, about 58 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 89.52 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 92.83 per cent and women at 86.08 per cent. The census recorded 226 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 220 main workers, the largest group, 125, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 59 cultivators on their own land and 36 agricultural labourers. A further 6 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balon's land. Of the village's 297 hectares, 271 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (41 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (230 hectares). About 26 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 62 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, 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. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Balon is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Banga, about 8 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Nawanshahr, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Godani, Banga Rural, Bhaura and Sujjon.

What is the population of Balon?

The population of Balon was 704 at the 2011 census, living in 151 households in Nawanshahr tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Balon have?

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