Migration

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another, and it is frequently linked to a change of
permanent residence. At the macro level, there are inter-regional and intraregional disparities, and at the micro-
level, there is a fundamental lack of employment opportunities, resulting in low living standards among
various socio-economic groups. Internal migration and international migration are the two types of migration.
Internal migration is the movement of people within a country from one location to another. International
migration is the movement of people from one country to another in search of work, a place to call home, or a
better standard of living.

Causes of Migration

 People are generally emotionally attached to their birthplace. However, millions of people leave their
homes and birthplaces.
 There could be a number of reasons for this. These reasons can be divided into two groups:
 Pull factors, which attract people from different places, and Push factors, which cause people to leave
their place of origin or residence.
 People in India migrate from rural to urban areas for a variety of reasons, including poverty, high
population pressure on the land, and a lack of basic infrastructures such as health care and
education.
 Natural disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclonic storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, and local
conflicts, in addition to these factors, provide an additional push to migrate.
 People from rural areas, on the other hand, are drawn to cities by a variety of factors.
 The majority of rural migrants to urban areas are attracted by better opportunities, the availability of
regular work, and relatively higher wages.
 Better educational opportunities, health care facilities, and entertainment options, among other things,
are all significant pull factors.
Types of Migration

Internal migration (moving within a state, country, or continent) and external migration (moving outside
of a state, country, or continent) are two types of human migration (moving to a different state, country, or
continent.

Types of Migration in India

Internal Migration

 Internal migration is the movement of people within a country from one defined area to another.
 It is generally divided into the following
o Rural to Rural (47%)
 o Rural to Urban (32%)
o Urban to Urban (15%)
o Urban to Rural (6%)

Types of Internal Migration

Rural to Rural

 According to the 2011 Census, this is the country's most dominant migratory movement.
 Intra-regional and inter-regional characteristics are linked to intra-sectoral migration.
 In comparison to inter-regional migration, intra-regional migration involves larger migratory volumes.
 Marriage ceremonies and working as agricultural laborers are the two main reasons for this migration.
 For example, agricultural laborers moving from overpopulated to underpopulated areas, such as the
Awadh-Rohilkhand plains to the Delta plains.
 Government decisions can sometimes have a significant impact.
 The resettlement of Sikhs in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh is an excellent example.
 The government also provided for the resettlement of 20,000 families as part of the Dandakaranya
project.

Rural to Urban

 It is the second most noticeable migratory pattern.

 Since independence, inter-sectoral migration has been the most dominant migratory trend.

 Inter-regional migration: Movement from one region of the country to another is referred to as
inter-regional migration.
 Intra-regional migration: Intra-regional migration refers to a movement within the same country's
region. For example, rural to rural, rural to urban, and so on.
 In India, there are two more types of internal migration based on the term of stay.
 Long-term migration: Individual or household relocation as a result of long-term migration.
 Short-term migration: It is characterized by shorter back-and-forth movement between the source
and the destination.
 Female Migration: Women account for 70.7 percent of all internal migrants, and marriage is one of
the main reasons for female migration in both rural and urban areas.
 Male Migration: One of the most common reasons for male migration in both rural and urban areas
is job-related migration.
 Construction, domestic work, textile, brick kilns, transportation, mines, quarries, and agriculture are
among the most common employment sectors for migrants.
 Rates of urbanization have an impact on wage disparities between rural and urban areas, as well as
an increase in demand for labor in urban areas, which can drive up urban wages and increase
migration.

 It is the result of both push and pulls factors in rural and urban areas.
  However, since the 1981 census, the positive impact of rural development programs has resulted in a
reduction in push factors, causing this trend to fall to second place.
 Megacities serve as a destination, with rural residents primarily from population surplus states like
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and MP serving as source areas.
 Rural-urban migration is primarily responsible for the country's exponential growth in population and
the number of megacities.
 There are intra-regional and inter-regional subcategories within this migratory trend.

Urban to Urban

 It primarily involves people moving from small towns to larger cities.

 This migration takes place in stages, with people moving from rural areas to small towns and then to
larger cities (Class II to Class I towns)
 The majority of urban to urban migration occurs in search of better opportunities and a higher
standard of living.
 It is dominated by middle-class individuals. In small towns, it creates a void.

Urban to Rural

 It is a reversal or push-back migration.

 It occurs at a high level of urbanization when cities are characterized by overcrowding, haphazard
growth, and high living costs.
 It is less because it involves the elderly population migrating primarily after their professional
commitments are completed.
 The technical term for this migratory movement is "counter-current migration".

Rate of Migration in search of Jobs

External Migration

India's external migration can be divided into three categories:

 Emigration: India's emigration to various parts of the world.

 Immigration: People from various countries are immigrating to India.
  Refugee Migration: Involuntary or forced migration to India in the form of refugees has also been a
significant trend.

Emigration

 India (17.5 million), Mexico (11.8 million), and China are the top three countries of origin for
international migrants (10.7 million).
 India ($78.6 billion), China ($67.4 billion), and Mexico ($35.7 billion) were the top three remittance
recipients.
 The United States ($68 billion) remained the leading remittance-sending country, followed by the
United Arab Emirates ($44.4 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($36.1 billion).

Immigration

 Immigration is the process by which people become permanent residents or citizens of a different
country.
 Immigration has historically benefited states in terms of social, economic, and cultural benefits.
 According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) International Migrant
Stock 2019 report, India has overtaken China as the world's leading country of origin for immigrants.
 The UAE was the most popular destination for Indian migrants, followed by the United States and
Saudi Arabia.
 Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal were the countries with the most international migrants in India. One-
third of all international migrants come from ten countries or less.
 India has the highest number of international migrants (17.5 million), followed by Mexico (12 million),
China (11 million), Russia (10 million), and Syria (10 million) (8 million).

Refugee Migration

 A refugee is defined as "a person who is outside his country of nationality because of a well-founded
fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or
political opinion."
 After leaving his mother country, a refugee does not change his nationality. In India, for
example, Tibetan refugees.
 Sri Lankan Tamils are another large group of refugees in India, having fled the island nation as a
result of active discriminatory policies by successive Sri Lankan governments, as well as events such as
the 1983 Black July Riots and the bloody Sri Lankan civil war.
 After 40,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar and sought refuge in India, the refugee debate
resurfaced in the United States.

International Migration (World Migration)

 The movement of people across international borders for the purpose of settling is known as
international migration.
 International migrants relocate from one country to another on a regular basis.
 Shorter stays in another country should not be classified as permanent international migration,
according to the United Nations.
 When passengers arrive in a country, they are asked whether they plan to stay for less than 3 months, in
which case they are classified as visitors; between 3 and 12 months, in which case they are classified
as short-term migrants; or for 12 months or more, in which case they are classified as long-term
migrants.
  India has not always been affected by in-migration, but historical events such as Partition (1947-51),
Buddhist Migration (1954-59), Bangladesh Liberation (1971), and Tamil migrants have all contributed
to international in-migration in India.
 Indian out-migration began during colonial times, primarily after the end of the slave trade (1833),
when a labor shortage prompted Indian migration from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to
countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia's Java for plantation agriculture.

International Migration and Global action

 The United Nations General Assembly held a high-level plenary meeting in 2016 to discuss
large-scale refugee movements and produced the report "Safety and Dignity: Addressing Large-
Scale Refugee and Migrant Movements."
 The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants was adopted by UN member states, and
it commits to protect the safety, dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms of all
migrants, regardless of their migratory status.
 As a result of the New York Declaration, UN Member States agreed to collaborate in the
development of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, which was
adopted in December 2018 in Morocco at an intergovernmental conference on international
migration.
 Every year on December 8th, International Migrants Day is commemorated.

Other Types

Based on Distance

 Intra-building: Movement within a building is referred to as intra-building movement (e.g. user-

movements in an airport terminal or hospital)
 Inter-building: Pedestrian patterns within a complex of buildings are known as inter-building patterns
(e.g. students moving over a University campus)
 Local-scale: Relocating within a town or city is a local-scale migration.
 Regional-scale: Migrating within a country from one county/state to another regional-scale migration
(emigration/immigration).

Based on Duration

 Daily: Daily commute to and from work often results in “rush hours” which is called daily
migration.
 Medium-term Temporary: This migration includes working for a few years in an overseas TNC
branch office; enrolling in a university course; working in a developing city to repay rural debts.
 Permanent: Emigrating to another country with no plans to return is the Permanent Migration.

Based on Motive

 Forced (Environment): Escaping a drought/flood/desertification/eruption-prone area is the

forced migration.
 Forced (Political): Religious, ethnic, racial, or political persecution, conflict, or war are all examples
of forced (political) threats to freedom, safety, and liberty are the factors of Forced Migration. (Refugee
and Asylum Seeker Information)
  Collective Behaviour: Keeping group cohesion by moving as part of a defined group (Traveller
communities, nomadic groups, ethnic groups) is the collective behavioral migration.
 Personal Aspiration: Migrating with a desire to improve one's or one's family's standard of living by
obtaining economic and social benefits is included in this type of migration.
 Personal Well-Being: Migrating due to health-related reasons, or perceived quality of life (relocating
to rural areas for a less frenetic pace of life) is called the Personal Well-Being Migration.

In view of the time of stay of migrants in the region

 Short-term migration: The migrants stay outside just for a brief length prior to getting back to their
place. Examples: Tourists, business trips.
 Long-term migration: The migrants stay outside, essentially, for a couple of years. Examples:
Companies send their employees for projects and students for education.

Seasonal Migration

 The seasonal movement of a population from one region or climate to another on a yearly basis in
response to changes in weather, temperature, and the seasonal nature of their income and jobs.
 It includes labor migration, urban migration, and migration to religious and tourist destinations.
 Bihar, East Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh have migrated to Punjab, Haryana,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jammu, and Kashmir, and North-East India in search of work.
 People migrate to metropolitan cities on a seasonal basis to work in construction and the footloose
industry.
 The majority of them are unemployed, but it is better than living in a village.
 Seasonal migration to tourist attractions and religious sites is common in South India and the
Himalayan region.
 In the summer, for example, a large number of migrant laborers from Eastern Uttar Pradesh migrate to
Uttarakhand's hill stations.
 Migrants in Punjab and Haryana's agricultural belt face agricultural hazards, but due to a lack of
employment, they are willing to migrate in that particular season.

Positive side of migration

 Migrants send money to their homes, helping in the growth of the economy of the region.
 International Indian migrants are one of the major sources of foreign exchange in India.
 States like Punjab, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu receive a huge amount of money from their international
migrants.
 Green revolution in Punjab, and Haryana result because of people’s migration from Uttar Pradesh, and
Bihar.
 Leads to the balanced distribution of the population according to resources within a country.
 Migrants act as a bridge of social change in rural areas.
 Exposure to new technologies and learning the importance of girls’ education can greatly affect the
changes in orthodox families.
 Intermixing of people from diverse cultures and respecting each other.
 The mindset among people changes because of exposure.

Negative side consequences

 Overcrowding is one of the major negative impacts on the metropolitan cities of India due to migration.
Resulting in many negative side effects.
 The development of slums in industrially developed states is another major negative consequence.
  Shortage of skilled labor because most migrate to urban areas.
 Under-development of rural regions due to lack of skilled people and economy of the region.
 Imbalances in sex ratio due to large male migration.
 Women in the rural areas will have more vulnerability, leaving with extra pressure when men are away
from home.

Environmental consequences of migration

 Overcrowding of people due to rural-urban migration has put pressure on the existing social and
physical infrastructure in the urban areas
 Formation of slum colonies in the middle of cities.
 Over-exploitation of natural resources.
 Metropolitan cities are facing the real problem of groundwater depletion.
 Air pollution, and emission of carbon gases due to an increase in vehicles for transportation in urban
areas.
 Proper disposal of sewage will be a problem.
 Difficult in management of solid wastes.
 Land Pollution & problem of garbage disposal.
 Deforestation, cutting down the trees for expansion and construction.

Question 1: What are the causes of rural and urban migration?

Answer: Rural to Urban migration is a very common migration involving people from rural areas moving
to urban cities and towns in search of opportunities. People in search of work and jobs come to urban areas
to earn money. Families come to settle down for better education and environment for their children. People
come to cities for better business opportunities, for selling their products and get reorganization, establish
their family businesses. Skilled laborers sell their art of work and get hired in a good industry. People come
for the standard of living conditions, and the availability of services and goods.
Question 2: What is emigration, and how does it affect?

Answer: Emigration implies moving from the origin country with the expectation to settle down somewhere
else. It is particularly, relocation from your nation, to get comfortable in another. The relocation influences
loss of talented work, fall in demand, and economy of products and local region. Furthermore, influences the
kids, families, and older individuals abandoned as they don’t get appropriate help.
Question 3: What are the push and pull factors of brain drain?

Answer: There are different reasons for brain drain. The main causes include looking for employment or
higher salaries, political instability, and seeking a better-quality standard of life. Reasons for brain drain
can be comprehensively ordered into push factors and pull factors.
Push Factors: Push factors force the people to move willfully and in numerous cases, they are constrained
on the grounds that they risk something assuming they stay, e.g., clashes, starvation, invasion, etc.
Pull Factors: Pull factors are those variables in the objective nation that draw in the individual or gathering
to leave their home. These are the positive attributes of the rich and developed country from which the
migrants might want to benefit.
Question 4: What are the advantages of migration to the destination country?

Answer: The major advantage is the rise in the economic state of the country. High investments from
multinational companies. Therefore, an increase in the employment rate. Raise infrastructures and
availability of services and commodities. Increase in land value. Income profits for the local business people
and local people earning money from leasing or renting their homes. Availability of labor for different
services at low rates or wages. Skilled Labor contributes to the knowledge and production in the interest of
the country.
Question 5: What is spatial variation in migration?

Answer: A spatial variation is a difference in population, density, or a number of populations in a region.

Internal migration is most common in India. Internal migration is different from state to state. The highest
numbers of net in-migrants states are Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
have the largest or highest number of out-migrants. Greater Mumbai received the largest number of intra-
state in-migrants.
Question 6: How is an enumeration of migration in the census of India?

Answer: The census of India records four types of information:

 Place of birth
 Duration of stay at the place of enumeration.
 Place of last residence.
 Reasons for migration from a place of the last residence .