Kharkuwalਖਰਕੁਵਲ

Where is Kharkuwal?

Kharkuwal is a village of Nawanshahr tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Nawansahar, about 17 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 032257, and it covers 240 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 663 people in Kharkuwal: 344 men and 319 women, living in 135 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 240 hectares, the population density works out to about 276 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 927 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 55, about 8 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 662 people, about 100 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 75.49 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 79.68 per cent and women at 70.99 per cent. The census recorded 214 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 112 main workers, the largest group, 61, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 51 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 102 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Kharkuwal's land. Of the village's 240 hectares, 223 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (223 hectares). About 17 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 85 cultivators and 5 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 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.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. The village had a sub post office. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. Banking was available in the village itself, with a cooperative bank branch. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Kharkuwal 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 17 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Nawanshahr, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Garh Padhana, Jhungian, Mahal Khurd and Jullah Majra.

What is the population of Kharkuwal?

The population of Kharkuwal was 663 at the 2011 census, living in 135 households in Nawanshahr tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Kharkuwal have?

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