Sunday, November 22, 2009

URBANISATION TRENDS

URBANISATION TRENDS In the Census, an urban area is defined as (a) all places with a municipality, corporation, etc.; and (b) all other places that satisfy the following criteria: (i) minimum population of 5,000, (ii) at least 75 per cent of male working population engaged in non­agricultural pursuits; and (iii) a density of at least 400 persons per sq. km. In 2001, urban population was 27.82 per cent as against 23.34 per cent in 1981 and about 17 per cent in 1951. In absolute terms, this comes to a very large number. From 1961 onwards, the number of towns have increased steadily to more than 5,500 in 2001.

A comparison of the growth trend of urban population and that of towns shows that the population of existing towns has risen significantly, rather than villages having graduated into town status. This stability in structure indicates a resistance to change in the socio-economic structure of the country.
It is in the Class I towns (or cities) that population tends to concentrate, and within cities the maximum concentration of urban population is found in the largest urban centres, especially in the million-plus cities (i.e., cities with population of more than ten lakh each). This is similar to what happens in developed countries. Going by the pattern of urbanisation, the major factor causing accelerated urbanisation is industrialisation.

The higher rate of population growth is in urban areas, and this indicates migration of rural population to urban areas. Class I cities with more than a lakh population accounted for more than 73 per cent of the total urban population mainly because of migration. The non-economic factors could be: seeking an escape from the more rigid
social organisation in rural areas; climatic disasters; modernising impact of radio, television and cinema. But migration is mainly caused by economic factors: seeking work as the subsistence agriculture is not enough to make a living by, and seeking better wages-as urban wages are generally higher compared to rural wages. When some of these people are unable to get absorbed in the urban job sector, they are pushed back towards rural areas, and there is a reverse migration of sorts.
Urban growth has, however, also led to increase in number of urban poor. Population projections postulate that slum growth is expected to surpass the capacity of civic authorities to respond to their health and infrastructure needs.
Migrants to urban areas are generally in the age bracket of 15-24. The young who have spent more years in schools show a greater tendency to migrate to cities. There is also a high percentage of landless unskilled migrants for whom there is hardly any work opportunity in rural areas.

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