Sheikhuਸ਼ੇਖੂ

Where is Sheikhu?

Sheikhu is a village in Malout tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Malout, about 1 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Malout community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 035279, and it covers 520 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 826 people in Sheikhu: 438 men and 388 women, living in 159 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 520 hectares, the population density works out to about 159 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 886 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 109, about 13 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 515 people, about 62 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 64.16 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 70.03 per cent and women at 57.27 per cent. The census recorded 279 workers, about 34 per cent of the village. Of the 278 main workers, the largest group, 121, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 105 other workers in trade, transport and services and 52 cultivators on their own land. A further 1 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sheikhu's land. Of the village's 520 hectares, 319 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (319 hectares). About 201 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 52 cultivators and 122 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a dispensary. 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 within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Sheikhu is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Malout, about 1 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was within five kilometres. Malout, the tehsil headquarters, and Sri Muktsar Sahib, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Jandwala Charat Singh, Danewala, Malwala and Ghumar Khera.

What is the population of Sheikhu?

The population of Sheikhu was 826 at the 2011 census, living in 159 households in Malout tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district.

What facilities does Sheikhu have?

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