Babaniaਬਬਨਿਆ

Where is Babania?

Babania is a village of Gidderbaha tehsil in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Gidderbaha, about 7 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Kot Bhai community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035328, and it covers 545 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,501 people in Babania: 779 men and 722 women, living in 271 households, an average of about 5.5 people per household. Spread over its 545 hectares, the population density works out to about 275 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 927 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 196, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 972 people, about 65 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 59.23 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 64.77 per cent and women at 53.45 per cent. The census recorded 675 workers, about 45 per cent of the village. Of the 520 main workers, the largest group, 325, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 173 cultivators on their own land and 22 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 155 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Babania's land. Of the village's 545 hectares, 463 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (446 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (17 hectares). About 78 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 6 hours a day. The census recorded 184 cultivators and 469 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had a PDS ration shop and 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Babania is reached by pucca roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Gidderbaha, about 7 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Gidderbaha, the tehsil headquarters, and Sri Muktsar Sahib, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Theri, Ghagga, Husnar and Kuraiwala.

What is the population of Babania?

The population of Babania was 1,501 at the 2011 census, living in 271 households in Gidderbaha tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district.

What facilities does Babania have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Babania has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.