Sothaਸੋਥਾ

Where is Sotha?

Sotha is a village in Muktsar tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Malwa region, and the 2011 directory recorded Sri Muktsar Sahib, about 12 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 035365, and it covers 1,327 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 3,639 people in Sotha: 1,885 men and 1,754 women, living in 710 households, an average of about 5.1 people per household. Spread over its 1,327 hectares, the population density works out to about 274 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 931 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 411, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 1,465 people, about 40 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 64.1 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 68.88 per cent and women at 58.86 per cent. The census recorded 1,190 workers, about 33 per cent of the village. Of the 1,110 main workers, the largest group, 476, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 365 other workers in trade, transport and services and 260 agricultural labourers. A further 80 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Sotha's land. Of the village's 1,327 hectares, 1,165 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (1,165 hectares). About 146 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 10 hours a day. With 506 cultivators and 297 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

The Census 2011 Village Directory gives the fullest picture of village facilities. Education in the village runs through 2 government primary schools, one government middle school and one government secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 10. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a primary health centre, a primary health sub-centre and a veterinary hospital. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had a sub post office. 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 more than ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 10 hours a day.

Getting there

Sotha is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Sri Muktsar Sahib, about 12 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Muktsar, the tehsil headquarters, and Sri Muktsar Sahib, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dhigana and Chak Duhewala.

What is the population of Sotha?

The population of Sotha was 3,639 at the 2011 census, living in 710 households in Muktsar tehsil of Sri Muktsar Sahib district.

What facilities does Sotha have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Sotha has government schools from primary to secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a sub post office. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.