Barnala district is one of the 23 districts of the Indian state of Punjab. It was carved out of Sangrur district, in November 2006. It is a centrally located district bordered by Ludhiana district on the north, Moga district on northwest, Bathinda district on west, Sangrur district on east and Mansa district on south. As per census 2011, the population of District Barnala is 5,96,294. The district is part of the Patiala division.
It is a centrally located district bordered by Ludhiana district on the north, Moga district on the northwest, Bathinda district on the west, Sangrur district on east and Mansa district on south. The current MLAs of the district are Meet Hayer of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Barnala Constituency, Labh Singh Ugoke of AAP from Bhadaur Constituency, and Kulwant Singh Pandori of AAP from Mehal Kalan Constituency.
As of 2026, Barnala becomes Municipal corporation Barnala Municipal corporation.
As of 2011, it is the least populous district of Punjab (out of 23).
History During the British era, the area that is now Barnala district was mostly part of Patiala State, with some areas belonging to Nabha State and some areas part of Ludhiana district. It functioned as a Nizamat (district) within Patiala state, comprising three tehsils: Mansa, Bathinda, and Barnala. This district was also historically referred to as Anahatgarth district.History of barnala nic.inPunjab Phulkian States Gazetteers, Volume XVII-A, 1904, p. 139. Available at Archive.orgCensus Report 1941 Patiala State, BY Lt. Col. Sukhdev Singh, Superintendent, Census Operations, page 10, Census of India Digital Library
After Patiala & other State accepted the dominion of India, and the princely states were reorganized, Barnala became part of the newly formed Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) and was designated as a district within it. During this process, the district itself was also reorganized.Page no. iii - Punjab, India Census book part I-A report 1951
In 1953, the Barnala district was abolished. At that time, the district consisted of four tehsils: Phul, Dhuri, Malerkotla, and Barnala. A portion of Phul tehsil along with the remaining three tehsils—Dhuri, Malerkotla, and Barnala—were transferred to Sangrur district, & rest part of Phul tehsil was merged into Bathinda district.Page no.- 68, Census of india, Vol. XIII Punjab 1961 census.gov.in
Barnala regained its status as a separate district much later, on 19 November 2006, carved out from Sangrur district. The new Barnala district comprises two sub-divisions—Barnala and Tapa—with three sub-tehsils: Tapa, Bhadaur, and Dhanaula, and three development blocks: Barnala, Sehna, and Mehal Kalan.History of Barnala gov.in
District administration
The Deputy Commissioner (DC), an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is the overall in-charge of the general administration in the district. Currently Poonamdeep Kaur, IAS is Deputy Commissioner of Barnala District. He is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Punjab Civil Service and other state services. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. Currently, Mr.Sandeep Malik, IPS is the Senior Superintendent of Police. He is expected to maintain very cordial relations with all the NGO's and social associations of the city. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Police Service and other Punjab Police officials. Indian Red Cross Society (IRC). Red Cross is globally accredited for its presence in providing quality health care services and always extends a helping hand to the needy. Indian Red Cross Society (IRC), Barnala District branch is having Mr. Sarwan Singh as its secretary. Patrons, Life Members, and volunteers of the society recently attended a "Seminar on Fund Raising and Capacity Building" at Ferozepur (the border town of Punjab)on 26 April 2011. Dr. Raj Kumar Jindal led the delegation. The District Public Relations Officer (DPRO). He is responsible for public relations of the state government as well as the district administrations. He issues and authorizes press notes to the print and electronic media of the district. Maintains records of all press and electronic channel reporters. Currently, Smt. Megha Mann is the DPRO of the Barnala District. The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service is responsible for managing the forests, environment, and wildlife-related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Forest Service and other Punjab Forest officials and Punjab Wild-Life officials. Sectoral development is looked after by the district head of each development department such as PWD, Agriculture, Health, Education, and Animal husbandry. These officers belong to various State Services. The District Informatics Officer (DIO), head of National Informatics Center. This department works regarding the E-Governance and other Technology-based Services that provide an automated environment to do the various tasks in District Office. Currently, Mr.Mohammad kasif is DIO.
Subdistricts of Barnala district According to the Indian government's integrated online directory, Barnala district is divided into the following subdistricts (tehsils/subdivisions) and blocks:
Subdistricts Barnala Mehal Kalan Tapa Blocks: Barnala Mehal Kalan Sehna
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Barnala district has a population of 595,527, roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands or the US state of Wyoming. As per 2011 census, Barnala is the least populous district of Punjab. This gives it a ranking of 527th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.16%. Barnala has a sex ratio of 876 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 68.9%. Scheduled Castes made up 32.24% of the population.
At the time of the 2011 census, 95.14% of the population spoke Punjabi and 4.30% Hindi as their first language.
The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Barnala district.
+Absolute numbers of different religious groups in Barnala districtReligionUrban (2011)Rural (2011)Sikh1,03,5413,64,210Hindu82,01630,843Muslim4,3048,796Christian358264Other religions466729
The table below shows the population of different religious groups in Barnala district, as of 2011 census.
+Population by religious groups in Barnala district, 2011 censushttps://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11389, India - C-01: Population by religious community, Punjab - 2011, District - BarnalaReligionTotalFemaleMaleSikh467,751220,451247,300Hindu112,85950,67962,180Muslim13,1006,0587,042Christian622286336Jain246105141Buddhist1084167Other religions481227254Not stated360158202Total595,527278,005317,522
Economy The income of Municipalities and Municipal corporations in Barnala district from municipal rates and taxes in the year 2018 was 236,253 thousand rupees.
Health The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Barnala, as of year 2020.
+ District nutrition profile of children under 5 years of age in Barnala, year 2019-21 "National Family Health Survey - 5, 2019-21, District Fact Sheet, Barnala, Punjab", https://rchiips.org/nfhs/nfhs-5_fcts/PB/Barnala.pdfIndicatorsNumber of children (<5 years) Percent (2019-21)Stunted33.8%24.6%Wasted9.4%11.8%Severely wasted2.4%6.1%Underweight16.5%17.9%Overweight/obesity6.1%3.4%Anemia60.6%51.5%
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Barnay of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, as of year 2019-21.
+District nutritional profile of Taran Taran of women of 15-49 years, in 2019-21IndicatorsPercent (2019-21)Percent (2015-16)Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m^2)13.0%13.2%Overweight/obesity37.7%32.4%Anemia (non-preg)55.2%42.6%Anemia (preg)58.5%45.0%
The table below shows the current use of family planning methods by currently married women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Barnala district.
+Family planning methods used by women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Barnala district"National Family Health Survey - 5 2019 -21, District Fact Sheet, Barnala, Punjab", https://rchiips.org/nfhs/nfhs-5_fcts/PB/Barnala.pdf"National Family Health Survey - 4 2015 -16, District Fact Sheet, Barnala, Punjab", Page 2, http://rchiips.org/NFHS/FCTS/PB/PB_FactSheet_54_Barnala.pdfMethodTotal (2019–21) Total (2015–16)Urban (2015-16)Rural (2015-16)Female sterilization25.8%43.5%40.7%44.8%Male sterilization0.6%0.3%0.5%0.3%IUD/PPIUD3.2%9.2%6.2%10.7%Pill2.9%2.8%2.6%2.8%Condom20.7%12.0%17.3%9.5%Injectables0.2%0.4%----Any modern method53.6%68.4%67.3%68.9%Any method69.3%78.6% 82.6%76.7%Total unmet need9.4%5.5%5.2%5.7%Unmet need for spacing3.6%2.1%1.7%2.2%
The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Barnala district by year.
+Road accidents and people affected in Barnala district by yearYearAccidentsKilledInjuredVehicles Involved202211379801742021138959015720201641171071242019179117140205
Politics No. Constituency Name of MLA PartyBench106BhadaurLabh Singh Ugoke Government107BarnalaKuldeep Singh Dhillon Opposition108Mehal Kalan (SC)Kulwant Singh Pandori Government
Notable people
Ram Sarup Ankhi - Punjabi writer, novelist and poet Surjit Singh Barnala - politician who served as the chief minister of Punjab state Kewal Singh Dhillon - President of BJP Punjab Balwant Gargi - Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer Rajinder Gupta - politician and founder of Trident Group Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer - politician Lok Sabha MP Sangrur Rupinder Rupi - actress in Punjabi film industry Devendra Satyarthi - Indian folklorist and writer of Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu literature. Ala Singh - founder and first ruler of Patiala Karam Singh - soldier who was the first living recipient of the Param Vir Chakra Sant Ram Udasi - Punjabi poet
See also Chananwal Pharwahi Uppli
References
External links