Garchaਗਰਚਾ

Where is Garcha?

Garcha is a village of Nawanshahr tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Nawansahar, about 16 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Aur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032254, and it covers 520 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,078 people in Garcha: 1,031 men and 1,047 women, living in 454 households, an average of about 4.6 people per household. Spread over its 520 hectares, the population density works out to about 400 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1016 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 170, about 8 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 941 people, about 45 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 82.02 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 85.99 per cent and women at 78.16 per cent. The census recorded 630 workers, about 30 per cent of the village. Of the 573 main workers, the largest group, 318, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 228 cultivators on their own land and 14 agricultural labourers. A further 57 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Garcha's land. Of the village's 520 hectares, 446 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (446 hectares). About 74 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 230 cultivators and 30 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 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 and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch and a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Garcha is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Nawansahar, about 16 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 Buhara, Mahal Khurd, Sodhian and Garh Padhana.

What is the population of Garcha?

The population of Garcha was 2,078 at the 2011 census, living in 454 households in Nawanshahr tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Garcha have?

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