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India is a densely populated country, being the second most populated in the world. The government ensures the growth and development of its people by keeping various different records such as the population count, the sex ratio, literacy rate, density of different regions, property owned, religious demographics and many more than this. All this data is segregated on the basis of states, and targeted actions are taken for further development. One of the most prominent changes that the country has been experiencing since its 2001 census is the rapid urbanisation among people in search of better educational opportunities or jobs which are available in cities. Urban India is less dependent on the agricultural sector for financial growth, making it a better voice for different employment opportunities. This article will focus on the population structure in terms of the rural and urban populations in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh Census 2011
Mahatma Gandhi once said that India is a country of villages. At the time of Independence, most of the country consisted of the rural population, and even today, after so much urbanisation, a major chunk of the population continues to reside in villages and rural parts of India. If the government wants to develop the country, instead of urbanising the places, it should start developing the rural areas as it is where the core of India stays. Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in the country in terms of population, and most of it resides in Rural areas. The state is far away from urbanisation but plays a crucial role in the country’s development due to various other aspects of it.
Population
Uttar Pradesh is the most popular state in the country, with over 19 crores of people living there. The state has seen a rise of around 3 crores since the 2001 census, almost as much as the size of a small country. There are around 10 crore men and 9.5 crore women in the state, which was 8.7 crore and 7.8 crores in 2001. Although the numbers have increased, the percentage growth rate of the population has reduced from 25% in 2001 to 20% in 2011. Some major aspects of the population are discussed below.
Sex Ratio
The sex ratio of the state is still far away from being balanced at 912, which was 898 as per the 2001 census. There could be various reasons behind this sex ratio, one of which can be the rural structure of the state. On one side, the adult sex ratio has improved, and on the other, the child sex ratio of the state has reduced from 916 in the 2001 census to 902 in the 2011 census.
Literacy Rate
Since most of the part of the state lives in rural areas, the state lags behind others in terms of literacy. Education is a prominent indicator of the economic growth of a state. It is extremely important for the people of a state to have good education policies as well as encourage its people to educate themselves and their offspring. As per the census of 2012, the literacy rate of Uttar Pradesh is 67% which was 56% in the 2001 census. The male literacy rate is 77% which has increased from 69% in 2001. When it comes to female literacy, the condition is very poor as only 57% of the female population is literate, and the condition was miserable in 2001 when less than 45% of women were literate. It is high time that the state focuses more on educational development.
Rural Population
A major chunk of Uttar Pradesh is rural, as almost 77% of people still reside in rural areas, and this is affecting the economic growth as well as the literacy rate of people, especially women. There is a massive gap in the literacy rate between men and women. Only 48% of women in rural areas are educated, in contrast with around 76% of the literacy rate among men. This ratio increases in urban areas but is still not impressive. Uttar Pradesh is not just a state with a disparity in literacy rate but also a sex ratio. The sex ratio in villages is around 906, which is low. The positive aspect is that the percentage growth of the population in rural areas is less than that in urban areas signifying the shift. But this shift is gradual and slow as only 22% of the population resides in urban areas.
Conclusion
Uttar Pradesh is a state which is far away from urbanisation at this point. A major portion of its population resides in rural areas, and this has led to backwardness and disparity in the education of women and the sex ratio of the state. The adult sex ratio has experienced steady growth, but the condition of the child sex ratio has deteriorated over the period of ten years from the last census. The positive aspect of this site is that the state is experiencing a gradual shift in population from rural to urban but is far away from complete urbanisation.
