# Bathinda district

Bathinda district is in Malwa region of Punjab, India. The district encompasses an area of 3,385 square kilometers. By area, Bathinda district is the second-largest in Punjab, after Ludhiana district. It is bounded by Faridkot district and Moga district on the north, Muktsar district on the west, Barnala and Mansa districts on the east, and the state of Haryana on the south. Bathinda is cotton producing belt of Punjab.

## History

The district of Bathinda came into existence with the formation of the PEPSU in 1948. It had its headquarters at Faridkot, which were shifted to Bathinda in 1952.

## Demography

Religion in Bathinda district (2011)
Languages of Bathinda district (First Language) (2011)
According to the 2011 census Bathinda district has a population of 1,388,525, roughly equal to the nation of Eswatini or the US state of Hawaii. This gives it a ranking of 352nd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 414 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,070/sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 17.37%. Bathinda has a sex ratio of 865 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 69.6%. Scheduled Castes made up 32.44% of the population.
At the time of the 2011 census, 89.56% of the population spoke Punjabi and 8.61% Hindi as their first language.

## Economy

In 2010–11, there were a total of 4,261 registered industrial units in Bathinda district. Of this, 12 were large and medium units. Small scale industries employed 22,744 workers and Large and Medium industries employed 6,865 people.

## Health

The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Bathinda, as of year 2020.
District nutrition profile of children under 5 years of age in Taran Taran, year 2020 :
| Indicators | Number of children (<5 years) | Percent (2020) | Percent (2016) |
| Stunted | 24,114 | 23% | 25% |
| Wasted | 16,184 | 15% | 10% |
| Severely wasted | 4,982 | 5% | 4% |
| Underweight | 24,911 | 24% | 17% |
| Overweight/obesity | 1,290 | 1% | 2% |
| Anemia | 65,550 | 70% | 45% |
| Total children | 104,888 | | |
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Bathinda of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, as of year 2020.
District nutritional profile of Bathinda of women of 15–49 years, in 2020 :
| Indicators | Number of women (15–49 years) | Percent (2020) | Percent (2016) |
| Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m^2) | 72,366 | 17% | 12% |
| Overweight/obesity | 164,038 | 37% | 24% |
| Hypertension | 141,098 | 32% | 15% |
| Diabetes | 61,202 | 14% | NA |
| Anemia (non-preg) | 261,533 | 46|% |
| Anemia (preg) | NA | NA | 32% |
| Total women (preg) | 20,789 | | |
| Total women | 437,786 | | |
The table below shows the current use of family planning methods by currently married women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Bathinda district.
Family planning methods used by women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Bathinda district :
| Method | Total (2019–21) | Total (2015–16) | Urban (2015–16) | Rural (2015–16) |
| Female sterilization | 17.5% | 43.2% | 37.6% | 47.7 % |
| Male sterilization | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| IUD/PPIUD | 6.2% | 10.5% | 12.1% | 9.2% |
| Pill | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.3% |
| Condom | 13.2% | 20.4% | 22.3% | 18.9% |
| Injectables | 0.1% | 0.0% | NA | NA |
| Any modern method | 40.7% | 77.3% | 74.7% | 79.3% |
| Any method | 45.3% | 82.6% | 81.4% | 83.6% |
| Total unmet need | 17.7% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 3.6% |
| Unmet need for spacing | 4.9% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.6% |
The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Bathinda district by year.
Road accidents and people affected in Bathinda district by year :
| Year | Accidents | Killed | Injured | Vehicles Involved |
| 2022 | 350 | 265 | 199 | 551 |
| 2021 | 287 | 213 | 161 | 447 |
| 2020 | 284 | 229 | 187 | 358 |
| 2019 | 324 | 261 | 182 | 279 |

## Administration

Bathinda is divided into the 4 tehsils of Bathinda, Rampura Phul, Maur and Talwandi Sabo. These tehsils are further divided into the nine blocks of Bathinda, Sangat, Nathana, Rampura, Phul, Maur, Balianwali, Bhagta Bhai ka and Talwandi Sabo.
Administrative Structure :
| No of Blocks | No of Villages | No of Census town | No of M.Corporation | No of M. Councils |
| 9 (Bathinda, Sangat, Nathana, Rampura, Phul, Maur, Balianwali, Bhagta Bhaika and Talwandisabo) | 272 | 2 (Bhisiana, Mehna) | 1 (Bathinda) | 20 (Sangat, Raman Mandi, Maur, Kotfatta, Rampura, Bhuchomandi, Goniana, Talwandi sabo, Bhagta, Kotshamir, Lehra Mohabbat, Nathana, Chauke, Rampura, Balianwali, Mandi Kalan, Maluka, Kothaguru, Bhairupa, Mehraj ) |

## List of Deputy Commissioners

| Name | Assumed office | Left office |
| Sh. Sodhi Surjeet Singh, PCS | 20-03-1954 | 01-07-1954 |
| Sh. Munshi Ram, PCS | 01-07-1954 | 04-07-1957 |
| Sh. M.D. Ahuja, PCS | 04-07-1957 | 09-01-1958 |
| Sh. Sher Jasjeet Singh, PCS | 09-01-1958 | 26-05-1959 |
| Sh. Bhai Sher Jang Singh, IAS | 17-06-1959 | 19-11-1962 |
| Sh. K.D. Vasudev, IAS | 19-11-1962 | 02-09-1966 |
| Sh. R.C. Kapila, IAS | 13-09-1966 | 18-04-1968 |
| Sh. Joginder Singh, IAS | 19-04-1968 | 01-05-1969 |
| Sh. Sukhbir Singh, IAS | 16-09-1969 | 07-06-1971 |
| Sh. Gurdev Singh Gill, PCS | 11-06-1971 | 27-08-1971 |
| Sh. A.C. Saini, IAS | 27-08-1971 | 30-06-1972 |
| Sh. R.R. Bhardvaj, IAS | 30-06-1972 | 03-10-1975 |
| Sh. N.K. Arora, IAS | 03-10-1975 | 27-07-1977 |
| Sh. Vikramjeet Singh, IAS | 27-07-1977 | 25-01-1980 |
| Sh. S.K. Tuteja, IAS | 12-03-1980 | 12-03-1980 |
| Sh. K. Rajindren Nair, IAS | 12-03-1980 | 22-08-1980 |
| Sh. Jai Singh Gill, IAS | 03-09-1980 | 20-03-1983 |
| Sh. A.K. Mishra, IAS | 20-03-1983 | 27-04-1986 |
| Sh. J.S. Komi, IAS | 27-04-1986 | 25-04-1988 |
| Sh. D.S. Guru, IAS | 25-04-1988 | 12-05-1992 |
| Sh. R.K. Nayar, IAS | 12-05-1992 | 26-08-1993 |
| Sh. Arun Goyal, IAS | 26-08-1993 | 14-06-1994 |
| Sh. Amarjeet Singh, IAS | 14-06-1994 | 14-07-1995 |
| Sh. Sukhpal Singh Gill, IAS | 14-07-1995 | 23-04-1998 |
| Sh. S.R. Ladhar, IAS | 23-04-1998 | 16-12-1999 |
| Sh. Jaspal Singh, IAS | 16-12-1999 | 07-06-2001 |
| Sh. R.Venctortanam, IAS | 07-06-2001 | 04-03-2002 |
| Sh. Anurag verma, IAS | 04-03-2002 | 19-05-2003 |
| Sh. Anurag Aggarwal, IAS | 23-05-2003 | 27-11-2003 |
| Sh. K.A.P. Sinha, IAS | 27-11-2003 | 12-05-2005 |
| Sh. Rahul Bhandari, IAS | 12-05-2005 | 19-07-2007 |
| Sh. Rahul Tiwari, IAS | 19-07-2007 | 14-06-2008 |
| Sh. Vinjay N Jada, IAS | 14-06-2008 | 11-08-2008 |
| Sh. Rahul Tiwari, IAS | 11-08-2008 | 28-02-2010 |
| Sh. Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, IAS | 02-03-2010 | 05-01-2011 |
| Dr. S. Karuna Raju, IAS | 06-01-2011 | 28-07-2011 |
| Sh. Kamal Kishore Yadav, IAS | 28-07-2011 | 02-06-2014 |
| Sh. Basant Garg, IAS | 02-06-2014 | 14-11-2016 |
| Sh. Ghansham Thori, IAS | 15-11-2016 | 17-03-2017 |
| Sh. Diprava Lakra, IAS | 17-03-2017 | 17-07-2018 |
| Sh. Praneet, IAS | 18-07-2018 | 08-04-2019 |
| Sh. B. SRINIVASAN, IAS | 09-04-2019 | 04-10-2021 |
| Sh. Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu, IAS | 05-10-2021 | 19-01-2022 |
| Sh. Vineet Kumar, IAS | 19-01-2022 | 01-04-2022 |
| Sh. Showkat Ahmad Parray, IAS | 02-04-2022 | in office |

## Politics

| No. | Constituency | Name of MLA | Party | Bench |
| 90 | Rampura Phul | Balkar Singh Sidhu | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 91 | Bhucho Mandi (SC) | Master Jagsir Singh | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 92 | Bathinda Urban | Jagroop Singh Gill | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 93 | Bathinda Rural (SC) | Amit Rattan Kotfatta | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 94 | Talwandi Sabo | Baljinder Kaur | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 95 | Maur | Sukhvir Maiser Khana | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |

## Notable people

* Parduman Singh Brar, athlete
* Ravinder Singh Khaira, athlete
* Kuldeep Manak, singer
* Jazim Sharma, singer
* Gurpreet Singh, painting artist