Internal Migration in India

Migration is an equilibrium process which reduces regional disparities at different stages of development and a process which is as old as human civilization. The rate of internal migration in the country has declined upto 1991. However, the figures of 2001 census reveal a reversal in this trend. The increase in the migration rate during 1990s is often viewed as a product of the forces unleashed by the new economic policy. India adopted new economic policy in 1991, which was based on the principles of liberalization, globalization and privatization. The new economic policy was aimed at increasing efficiency, achieving high growth rate, promoting exports and attracting more and more foreign investment by easing up policy regulations. In view of the above, the presents study endeavors to discuss the trends of internal migration in India. It also discusses, the migration streams and distance categories at aggregate level in the country. More specifically, it also brings to fore the reasons of migration in India. Introduction An absolute immobile population does not exist anywhere in the world. The phenomenon of migration is as old as human civilization. In early phases of history, geographical barriers played a significant role in giving dimensions to migration phenomenon. At that time migration was limited to an extent because of lack of means of transport. But now migration is a response to technological progress, industrialization, urbanization and is facilitated by the availability of easy means of transport. According to the Indian Census, a person is considered as migrant if his place of birth is different from the place where he is being enumerated or if the place in which he is enumerated during the census is other than his place of immediate last residence. As per 2001 census, 30 percent of population is classified as migrants in India. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana are the three states of the Indian union which have attracted a larger number of interstate migrants during the last decade 1991-2001. The present paper is based on census data. On the basis of net migration during last decade, Maharashtra stands at the top of the list with 2.3 million net migrants, followed by Gujarat (0.67 million) and Haryana (0.64 million) as per 2001 Census. Trends of Internal Migration One of the commonly used measure of rate of mobility is the share of migrants in a population at a given time point. Table 1 presents the share of internal migrants in India over the last four decades. Table reveals that only 30 percent of India’s population is classified as migrants in 2001 census and further females are more mobile than males in the country. The another point that emerges is that the rate of migration has declined upto 1991 if a marginal increase in 1981 over 1971 is ignored. There is reversal in this declining trend of population mobility in 2001census. Table: 1 Internal Migrants as Percentage to Total Population in India, 1971-2001 (As per place of last residence criterion) Census Years Migrants All Areas Rural Urban Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female 1971 Lifetime 29.12 17.46 41.66 27.18 12.88 42.25 36.92 35.00 39.16 1981 Lifetime 30.30 17.22 44.30 28.29 12.06 45.34 36.80 33.24 40.84 1991 Lifetime 26.94 14.05 40.85 25.56 9.71 42.45 30.91 26.28 36.1