ਮਛਿਪਲਮਛਿਪਲ

Where is Machhipal?

Machhipal is a village in Kapurthala tehsil of Kapurthala district in Punjab, India. It lies in the Doaba region, and the 2011 directory recorded Kapurthala, about 20 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Kapurthala community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 029332, and it covers 182 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 303 people in Machhipal: 154 men and 149 women, living in 56 households, an average of about 5.4 people per household. Spread over its 182 hectares, the population density works out to about 166 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 968 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 45, about 15 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 292 people, about 96 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 62.79 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 68.42 per cent and women at 56.8 per cent. The census recorded 98 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 92 main workers, the largest group, 40, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 33 agricultural labourers and 19 cultivators on their own land. A further 6 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Machhipal's land. Of the village's 182 hectares, 169 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (169 hectares). About 14 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 11 hours a day. The census recorded 20 cultivators and 37 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5.

Health facilities recorded inside the village in 2011 included a community health centre. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. 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 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Machhipal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads; the nearest bus service was more than ten kilometres away. The directory recorded Kapurthala, about 20 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Kapurthala, the tehsil headquarters, and Kapurthala town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Kahlwan, Qualpur, Nidoki and Thigli.

What is the population of Machhipal?

The population of Machhipal was 303 at the 2011 census, living in 56 households in Kapurthala tehsil of Kapurthala district.

What facilities does Machhipal have?

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