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This article throws light upon the two main patterns of migration in India. The patterns are: 1. Inter-State Migration 2. Migrants by Place of Last Residence and Sex.
Pattern # 1. Inter-State Migration:
Inter-state migration is internal migration. When people from one state of a country move to another state in the same country for permanent settlement, it is called inter-state migration. The size of people migrating from one place to another is small in India.
In the Census of 1961, the registration of 68.6 per cent out of the total population was done at their birth place which shows that only 31.4 per cent people migrated. In the 1971 Census, this number decreased to 29.5 per cent.
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Inter-state migration during 1961-71 shows that people from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir and Bihar respectively migrated. Migration was continuously occurring in Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat.
During 1951-61 migration occurred from Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan, Bihar and Tamil Nadu to other states, while during 1961- 71, migration from other states occurred into these states. Thus, during 1951-61, these states were population losing states. During 1961-71, these states came under the category of population gaining states.
The inter-state migration data reveal that the highest population (6.41 per cent) migrated from other states to West Bengal in 1961 which is an industrially developed state, while the least people migrated to Jammu & Kashmir, which is a backward state. Similarly, the highest population (6.49 per cent) migrated to other states from Punjab; while the least population (0.98 per cent) migrated to other states from Assam.
During 1971-81, there were no important changes in the trends of migration. There was no significant change even in the size of population coming in Maharashtra from other states through migration. The highest population (3.7 per cent) migrated to Maharashtra from the northern states (Bihar, Punjab, etc.).
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The migration stream from 1981 to 1991 shows that population from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh migrated mainly to Maharashtra, Bengal, Assam and Karnataka. In the inter-state migration, the role of female has been of much importance.
This is because females after their marriage settle at the place of their husbands. The marriage and migration rate being the same in almost all the states, no serious problem arises. People largely migrate to Delhi and other metropolitan cities because opportunities of employment, educational and other facilities are available there.
Pattern # 2. Migrants by Place of Last Residence and Sex:
In India, the migrants by place of last residence and sex are shown in Table 1. The total number of migrants were 23.21 crores in 1991 which come to around 27 per cent of the Indian population. In sex-wise migration, the number of female migrants during 1971-91 due to socio-economic development in India, had increased by about 38 per cent.
The table reveals that most of the migration was short distance migration. This is because nearly 65 per cent of the migrants were enumerated in the same districts and nearly 90 per cent of the migrants were enumerated in the same state.
The table also shows the decrease in the international migration from 1971 to 1991. In 1971 the international migration accounted for 4.9 per cent of the total population while in 1991 it accounted for only 2.6 per cent of the total population.
The data for sex-wise migration by place of last residence indicates that females outnumbered males in the short distance migration, while males outnumbered females in the long distance migration.
