Key Points
Key Points: Reasons for Migration
- Main Reasons (2011) – Marriage, work, education, moved with household, moved after birth, business.
- Marriage – Largest cause (about 49%); mainly women migrate after marriage.
- Work – About 10% migrate for employment; mostly rural to urban movement.
- Other Causes – Education (2%), business (1%), family movement and birth-related movement.
- Push & Pull Factors –
i. Push: Poverty, unemployment, insecurity.
ii. Pull: Jobs, education, better facilities in cities.
Key Points: Migration Trends: Basic Concepts
- Migration – Movement of people from one place to another (permanent or temporary).
- Types – In-migration, out-migration, stepwise migration, and daily commutation.
- Effect – Changes population size and structure of an area.
- Census Basis – Measured by place of birth and place of last residence.
- Key Terms – Origin (place left), destination (place reached), emigration (leaving country), immigration (entering country).
Key Points:
- Annual Migration Flow – India’s net annual internal migration averages about 9 million people, higher than Census estimates.
- Major Receiving Region – Delhi region is the largest recipient of migrants.
- Major Sending States – Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together account for nearly half of total out-migrants.
- Other Migration Patterns – Maharashtra, Goa and Tamil Nadu show net in-migration; Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh show net out-migration.
- Counter-Magnet Regions – Cities like Surat, Jaipur and Chandigarh attract migrants and reduce pressure on larger cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
Key Points: In-Migration
- Historical In-Migration – India’s population includes descendants of migrants like Dravidians, Aryans, Mughals and Europeans.
- Main Source Countries – Most immigrants come from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- Major Areas of Settlement – Immigrants are mainly concentrated in Assam and Uttar Pradesh, and also in states like West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra.
- Refugee Influx – India has received refugees from Tibet, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh; about 3 lakh refugees were living in India in 2011.
- Important Refugee Groups – Tibetans (since 1959), Sri Lankan Tamils (1983), Afghans (1979 onwards), Rohingyas from Myanmar and Chakmas from Bangladesh.
Key Points: Consequences of Migration
- Demographic Impact – Migration changes age and sex composition; source areas have more women, children and elderly, while receiving areas have more working-age males.
- Effect on Population Growth – Out-migration lowers birth rate and growth in source areas; in-migration increases growth in receiving areas.
- Social Impact (Positive) – Promotes cultural mixing, spreads new ideas (education, technology, family planning), and broadens outlook.
- Social Impact (Negative) – May cause loneliness, social isolation, crime and drug abuse in cities.
- Economic Impact (Positive) – Migrants send remittances; improves income and living standards of families and supports local economy.
- Economic Impact (Negative) – Brain drain leads to loss of skilled manpower from poorer regions.
- Environmental & Other Effects – Causes overcrowding, slums, pollution and pressure on urban infrastructure; affects women’s workload and status.
Key Points: Types of Migration
- Two Types of Migration –
i. International Migration (across countries)
ii. Internal Migration (within the country) - International Migration –
i. Emigration: Indians going abroad
ii. Immigration: Foreigners coming to India - Internal Migration in India (Earlier View) – India was considered less mobile; about 90% people lived in their birth district.
- Reasons for Low Mobility – Poverty, farming culture, caste system, early marriage, language differences, low literacy, poor transport and lack of awareness.
- Recent Trends – Migration has increased after the 1980s due to better job opportunities and economic development.
- Labour Migration – Millions move annually for work; migration is accelerating and faster than earlier census estimates.
- Migration Pattern – Less developed states send migrants, while more developed and industrialised states receive migrants.
Key Points: Out-Migration
- Historical Migration – Indians have migrated since ancient times (e.g., during Ashoka’s period to spread Buddhism).
- 19th Century Labour Migration – Indians were sent as labourers to Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, West Indies, Fiji and African countries under contract (Girmit Act).
- Indian Diaspora (Three Waves) –
a) First: Plantation labourers during British rule.
b) Second: Workers and traders to Southeast Asia, Africa and West Asia (oil boom in 1970s).
c) Third: Skilled professionals (doctors, engineers, software experts) to USA, UK, Canada, etc. - Migration to Middle East – Large number of skilled and semi-skilled workers migrated to oil-rich Gulf countries after 1970s.
- Brain Drain – Migration of highly educated professionals to developed countries created the problem of brain drain.
- Partition Migration (1947) – About 14.5 million people moved between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; one of the largest migrations in history.
- Current Scenario – Around 30 million Indians live in about 200+ countries; many are in North America and Europe.
Key Points: Migration Streams
- Four Migration Streams (By Distance) –
Intradistrict (within district)
Interdistrict (within state)
Interstate (between states)
International (immigrants from outside India) - Four Internal Streams (Rural–Urban Basis) –
Rural–Rural (R-R), Rural–Urban (R-U), Urban–Urban (U-U), Urban–Rural (U-R). - Rural–Rural Migration (Largest Share – 50%) – Dominated by women due to marriage; also due to agricultural labour and resettlement.
- Rural–Urban Migration (18%) – Mainly males; caused by push (poverty, unemployment) and pull (jobs, better facilities); contributes to urban growth and slums.
- Urban–Urban Migration (17%) – Movement from small towns to big cities; common among middle class; linked with step migration.
- Urban–Rural Migration (5%) – Least common; due to congestion, high cost of living or marriage; also called reverse migration.
- General Pattern – Poor and densely populated states (UP, Bihar, Rajasthan) send migrants; developed and urbanised states (Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal) receive migrants.
