Saroaਸਰੋਆ

Where is Saroa?

Saroa is a village of Balachaur tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 12 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Saroya community development block and is served by the Saroya gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032515, and it covers 529 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,712 people in Saroa: 1,917 men and 1,795 women, living in 752 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 529 hectares, the population density works out to about 702 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 936 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 409, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,904 people, about 51 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 83.08 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 88.65 per cent and women at 77.17 per cent. The census recorded 1,375 workers, about 37 per cent of the village. Of the 1,026 main workers, the largest group, 846, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 109 cultivators on their own land and 46 household industry workers. A further 349 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Saroa's land. Of the village's 529 hectares, 437 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (437 hectares). About 52 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 14 hours a day. With 112 cultivators and 32 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.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre, a primary health centre, a primary health sub-centre, an allopathic hospital, a dispensary 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 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Saroa is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Balachaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kulpur, Begampur, Sahungra and Hyatpur.

What is the population of Saroa?

The population of Saroa was 3,712 at the 2011 census, living in 752 households in Balachaur tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Saroa have?

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