ਬਲਗਨਬਲਗਨ

Where is Balagan?

Balagan 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 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Gurdaspur community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028119, and it covers 358 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,396 people in Balagan: 745 men and 651 women, living in 225 households, an average of about 6.2 people per household. Spread over its 358 hectares, the population density works out to about 390 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 874 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 170, about 12 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 123 people, about 9 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 77.73 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 82.02 per cent and women at 72.98 per cent. The census recorded 489 workers, about 35 per cent of the village. Of the 402 main workers, the largest group, 179, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 123 agricultural labourers and 92 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 87 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Balagan's land. Of the village's 358 hectares, 316 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (316 hectares). About 4 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 190 cultivators and 130 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. 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 five to ten kilometres away. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 18 hours a day.

Getting there

Balagan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was more than ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Dhariwal, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than 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 Bhopar Saidan, Kamalpur Afganan, Qadianwali and Hardo Chhani.

What is the population of Balagan?

The population of Balagan was 1,396 at the 2011 census, living in 225 households in Gurdaspur tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Balagan have?

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