MIGRATION IN INDIA

INTRODUCTION

• Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another, usually across administrative or political boundaries, for a temporary or permanent period.
• It is an important component of population change and redistribution.
• According to Census 2011, out of 1210 million people in India, about 455.8 million (around 37%) were reported as migrants by place of last residence.

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TYPES OF MIGRATION AS PER CENSUS OF INDIA
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1. Life-time Migration:
• If the place of birth is different from the place of enumeration, a person is called a life-time migrant.

2. Migration by Place of Last Residence:
• If the place of last residence is different from the place of enumeration, the person is counted as migrant by last residence.

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STREAMS OF INTERNAL MIGRATION
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Four main streams:

• Rural to Rural (R–R)
• Rural to Urban (R–U)
• Urban to Urban (U–U)
• Urban to Rural (U–R)

Important Observations (2011):
• Out of 455 million migrants, about 141.9 million had changed their residence in the last ten years.
• About 118.7 million were intra-state migrants.
• Female migrants dominate short-distance rural to rural migration, mainly due to marriage.
• Male migrants dominate rural to urban and inter-state migration, mainly due to economic reasons.

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INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (IMMIGRATION)
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• Census 2011 recorded more than 5 million immigrants in India.
• About 88.9% came from neighbouring countries.
• Major source countries: Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.

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SPATIAL PATTERN OF MIGRATION IN INDIA
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SOURCE REGIONS (OUT-MIGRATION):
• Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, etc.
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of net out-migrants.

SINK REGIONS (IN-MIGRATION):
• Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, etc.
• Maharashtra receives the highest number of migrants, followed by Delhi and Gujarat.

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CAUSES OF MIGRATION
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1. PUSH FACTORS (FORCE PEOPLE TO LEAVE):

• Poverty and unemployment
• High population pressure on land
• Lack of education, health and basic facilities
• Natural disasters: flood, drought, cyclone, earthquake, tsunami
• Wars, conflicts and social disturbances

2. PULL FACTORS (ATTRACT PEOPLE TO DESTINATION):

• Better employment opportunities and higher wages
• Better education and health facilities
• Better standard of living and urban amenities
• More security and social opportunities

GENDER DIFFERENCE IN CAUSES:
• For males, main reason is work and employment.
• For females, about 67% migrate due to marriage (except in Meghalaya).

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CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATION
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A. ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

1. Remittances:
• International migrants send large amount of foreign exchange.
• States like Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu benefit greatly.
• Internal remittances, though smaller, are lifeline for poor regions of Bihar, UP, Odisha, MP, etc.

2. Agricultural and Industrial Development:
• Migration helped the success of Green Revolution in Punjab, Haryana and Western UP.

3. Negative Impact:
• Unregulated migration causes overcrowding in cities.
• Leads to growth of slums in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, etc.

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B. DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES

• Rapid growth of urban population due to rural–urban migration.
• Source regions face imbalance in age and sex structure due to selective out-migration.
• Example: Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Eastern Maharashtra, MP.

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C. SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

POSITIVE:

• Diffusion of new ideas, technology, education and family planning.
• Cultural integration and development of composite culture.

NEGATIVE:

• Anonymity, loneliness and social insecurity.
• Can lead to crime, drug abuse and social problems.

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D. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

• Heavy pressure on urban infrastructure.
• Growth of slums and unplanned settlements.
• Overuse of water, air pollution, sewage and solid waste problems.

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E. OTHER CONSEQUENCES

NEGATIVE:

• Extra burden on women in rural areas due to male out-migration.
• Brain drain: loss of skilled manpower from poor regions.
• Reinforcement of underdevelopment in source regions.

POSITIVE:

• Migration of women for education and employment increases their autonomy and economic role.

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CONCLUSION

• Migration is a natural and inevitable process in a developing country like India.
• It contributes to economic development and social change, but also creates serious urban and regional problems.
• Balanced regional development, better rural opportunities and planned urbanisation are the keys to managing migration effectively.

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Subject: Geography

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