Geography · Ch 17 — Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems
Rural–Urban Migration
Rural–Urban Migration
The Push and Pull of Rural–Urban Migration
Rural–urban migration is the movement of people from countryside to cities. It is not a random drift — it is driven by a clear set of forces. On the one hand, cities offer a high demand for labour, especially in construction, factories, and the informal sector. On the other hand, rural areas suffer from low job opportunities and an unbalanced pattern of development that leaves many families with little to fall back on. In India, the flow is especially strong toward mega cities because smaller and medium cities themselves offer few opportunities. Poor people often bypass these smaller towns entirely and head straight to the largest urban centres in search of a livelihood.
How Urban Population Grows
A city's population increases through three routes:
- Natural increase — when the birth rate exceeds the death rate within the city.
- Net in-migration — more people moving into the city than leaving it.
- Reclassification — when the boundaries of a city are expanded to include what were formerly rural settlements.
Globally, 55 per cent of the world's population already lives in cities, and this figure is projected to reach 68 per cent by 2050. In India, after 1961, roughly 60 per cent of urban growth has been attributed to migration, and about 29 per cent of that came specifically from rural-to-urban movement.
The Story of Ramesh: A Case Study
The textbook presents a detailed case study to show how these forces play out in one person's life. Ramesh, a welder on contract, has been moving with his contractor to places like Talcher (in Odisha's coal region), Surat, Mumbai, Gandhi Nagar, Bharuch, and Jamnagar. He sends back Rs 20,000 per year to his father in his native village. That money is used for daily consumption, healthcare, children's schooling, and also for agriculture, buying land, and building houses. His family's standard of living improved significantly.
But fifteen years earlier, the situation was very different. Ramesh's family was in deep trouble. Three brothers and their families had to survive on just three acres of land. The family was heavily in debt. Ramesh had to drop out of school after the ninth standard, and his situation became even harder after he got married.
At the same time, he saw successful out-migrants from his village who were working in Ludhiana and supporting their families back home by sending money and consumer goods. Driven by abject poverty and the promise of jobs, Ramesh moved to Punjab with a friend. He worked in a woolen factory there for six months in 1988, earning only Rs 20 per day. That wage was barely enough to cover his own expenses, and he also struggled to adjust to a new culture and environment. …
Ramesh has been working in contract as a welder on construction site in Talcher (coal region of Odisha) for the last two years. He moved with the contractor to various places like Surat, Mumbai, Gandhi Nagar, Bharuch, Jamnagar and so on. He remits Rs. 20,000 per year to his father in his native village. The remittances have been mainly used for daily consumption, healthcare, schooling of children, etc. Part of the money is also used in agriculture, purchasing of land and building of houses, etc. The standard of living of Ramesh's family improved significantly. Fifteen years ago, the situation was not the same. The family was passing through very tough times. Three of his brothers and their families had to survive on three acres of land. The family was highly in debt. Ramesh had to discontinue his studies after ninth standard. He was further hard pressed when he got married. Simultaneously, he was also impressed by some successful out-migrants of his village who had been working in Ludhiana and supporting their families in village by sending money and some consumer goods. Thus, due to abject poverty in the family and perceived job promises at Ludhiana, he made a move to Punjab with his friend. He worked there in a woolen factory for six months at the rate of only Rs. 20 per day in 1988. Apart from the crisis of managing his personal expenditure from this meagre income, he was also facing difficulty in assimilation to the new culture and environment. Then he decided to change his place of work from Ludhiana to Surat under the guidance of his friend. He learnt the skills of welding in Surat and after that he has been moving to different places with the same contractor. Though the economic condition of Ramesh's family at village improved, he is bearing the pain of separation of his near and dear ones. He cannot shift them with him, as the job is temporary and transferable.
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