ਅਲੋਵਲਆਲੋਵਾਲ

Where is Alowal?

Alowal is a village in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Majha region, and the 2011 directory recorded Dhariwal, about 5 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Dhariwal community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028039, and it covers 424 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,586 people in Alowal: 838 men and 748 women, living in 296 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 424 hectares, the population density works out to about 374 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 893 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 151, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 279 people, about 18 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 79.51 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 85.54 per cent and women at 72.97 per cent. The census recorded 785 workers, about 49 per cent of the village. Of the 704 main workers, the largest group, 322, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 292 agricultural labourers and 73 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 81 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Alowal's land. Of the village's 424 hectares, 372 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (372 hectares). About 52 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 332 cultivators and 330 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 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.

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

Getting there

Alowal is reached by pucca roads; the nearest bus service was within five kilometres. The directory recorded Dhariwal, about 5 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was five to ten kilometres away. Gurdaspur, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Gunian, Jogowal, Boparai and Chhotepur.

What is the population of Alowal?

The population of Alowal was 1,586 at the 2011 census, living in 296 households in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Alowal have?

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