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Internal Migration in India

HS-201 (Economics)

Internal Migration : occurs when peoples cross state boundaries

and stay in the host state for some minimum length of time.

Objectives
1. Reasons for migration
2. State to state migration flows.
3. Some insights on the determinants of internal migration in
India.

Internal migration in India

Effects
Where

Why

Introduction
Migration in India is not new and historical accounts show that

people have moved in search of work, in response to


environmental shocks and stresses, to escape religious
persecution and political conflict.
Although in recent years, growth has been unequal in India ,

characterized by industry in developed states drawing labour


from agriculturally backward and poor regions.
High productivity agricultural areas (green revolution areas)

continue to be important destinations.


Rural-urban migration is the fastest growing type of migration

as more migrants choose to work in better paying non-farm


occupations in urban areas and industrial zones.

Some facts about migration

Population of India
no.of people in million

1028
0.54

166.2

309

226

Migration pattern in India


no of people in millions

53.3

20.5
6.2
Rural to rural

Rural to urban

Urban to rural

14.3
Urban to urban

Size and Growth Rates of Migrants by


Migration Type, India, 19712001.

Migration

Pattern in
India

Reasons for internal migration

Push factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Not enough jobs


Few opportunities
"Primitive" conditions
Loss of wealth
Natural Disasters
Death threats
Slavery
Pollution
Discrimination

PULL FACTORS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Job opportunities
Better living conditions
Political and/or religious freedom
Enjoyment
Education
Security
Family links
Attractive climates

Benefits and
Risks

Benefits
Sharing and transferring skills

Benefit
Strengthen economic integration in the

region.

Risk
Region-wide exploitation of workers

Risk
Brain Drain to other regions or within

region

Risk
Security and Public Health Concerns

Human Development Impacts of


Migration
Migration has both positive and negative impacts on

human development.
On the positive side it brings in cash which may or may not
result in an improvement in living standards. It can also
result in the learning of new skills and an improvement in
social status.
On the negative side migration carries the risk of injury,
exposure to life threatening diseases, loneliness and
increased work burdens for women left behind.
The overall outcome of migration depends on how these
positives and negatives add up for the better connected
and better educated, migration can result in rapid
accumulation of assets and a faster escape from poverty.

Economic Contribution of Migration


All three sectors of the Indian economy namely

agriculture (17.8%), industry (19.4%) and services


(62.9%) employ very large numbers of migrant
workers.
According to HDRP(Human development research

paper) , there are roughly 100 million migrants in


India contributing 10% to the national GDP.

textiles, construction, stone quarries and mines,


brick-kilns,
small scale industry (diamond cutting,
leather accessories etc.),
crop transplanting and
harvesting,
sugarcane cutting,
plantations,
rickshaw pulling,
food processing including fish
and prawn processing, salt panning, domestic work,
security services, sex work, small hotels and
roadside restaurants/tea shops and street vending.

major subsectors using migrant labour.


We piece together these sectors, available information
on the numbers of workers involved and their
contribution to the economy.

3500000
3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000
0

GDP by Economic Activity 2006-07

The Economic Contribution Of Migrant


Workers By Sector

Conclusion
The push and pull factors have dominated much of the

understanding of migration. Push factors like low income, low


literacy, dependence on agriculture and high poverty are cited as
some examples associated with place of origin. On the other
hand, high income, high literacy, dominance of industries and
services, are the pull factors associated with place of destination.
It has been found in this study that both in and out- migration

rates have significant positive association with per capita income,


percentage of workforce and share of GSDP in the nonagricultural sector. This means that higher income and sectorial
transformation of economy from agricultural to non-agricultural
sector is associated both with higher in-migration as well as outmigration rates.
In other words, the areas which are experiencing higher in-

On the other hand, increased mobility of Indias population after

liberalization of the economy in 1991 is confined to relatively


better off sections who can better fit into the emerging areas of
job opportunities.

References:

http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/19193/
Internal Migration in India: Are the Underclass More Mobile? --Ram B.Bhagat
www.rbi.org.in Publications
www.google.co.in/publicdata

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