Benkaਬੇਂਕਾ

Where is Benka?

Benka is a village of Patti tehsil in Tarn Taran district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Patti, about 14 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Bhikhiwind community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 038069, and it covers 825 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 2,763 people in Benka: 1,433 men and 1,330 women, living in 496 households, an average of about 5.6 people per household. Spread over its 825 hectares, the population density works out to about 335 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 928 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 338, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 736 people, about 27 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 64.7 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 69.82 per cent and women at 59.27 per cent. The census recorded 1,167 workers, about 42 per cent of the village. Of the 912 main workers, the largest group, 333, were household industry workers, ahead of 283 cultivators on their own land and 225 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 255 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Benka's land. Of the village's 825 hectares, 745 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (355 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (390 hectares). About 80 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 306 cultivators and 140 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Benka is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Patti, about 14 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Patti, the tehsil headquarters, and Tarn Taran town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Sugga, Balair, Tatle and Kalle.

What is the population of Benka?

The population of Benka was 2,763 at the 2011 census, living in 496 households in Patti tehsil of Tarn Taran district.

What facilities does Benka have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Benka has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.