Migration: Types and Causes

Introduction

Migration plays a significant role in the redistribution of the population. The history of India is marked by the influx of migrants from various geographies. The maximum number of migrants have come from Central and West Asia and Southeast Asia. They have settled down and made homes in different parts of India. Similarly, many Indians have migrated to various parts of the world in search of better opportunities. The quest for a better life is one of the major causes of migration. Countries in North America and South America, Western Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and SouthEast Asia harbour a huge number of Indian migrants. 

Migration: Types and Causes

With the first Census of India, the Government started maintaining migration data and has been doing so during every census ever since. Information to ascertain Migration: Types and Causes along with personal details are recorded. In the Census of India, migration is enumerated based on:

• Place of Birth – If the place of birth is different from the place of enumeration, the person is marked as a lifetime migrant.
• Place of Residence – If the place of the last residence is different from the place of enumeration, the person is known as a migrant by the people of the place of their last residence.

There are various factors that lead to migration. Employment, education, and marriage are some of the major reasons that compel people to move from their place of origin. Some important aspects of migration have been discussed further to aid an in-depth understanding of the subject.

Types of Migration

When people move from one part of the country to another or from one country to another, it is known as migration. While studying Migration: Types and Causes, it has been determined that internal migrants within India can be clustered into four specific streams, which include:

• Rural to Rural (R-R)
• Rural to Urban (R-U)
• Urban to Urban (U-U)
• Urban to Rural (U-R)

In the 2001 Census, 81 million migrants, enumerated on the basis of the last residence, were intrastate migrants, with a higher proportion of female migrants who had mostly migrated for marriage. Overall, women outnumber men in both intrastate and interstate rural to rural migration. Men, on the contrary, dominate the numbers when it comes to rural to urban interstate migration. This is attributed to the fact that urban areas offer better employment opportunities. 

Apart from inter and intrastate migration, immigrants from neighbouring countries come every year and seek refuge in India. Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tibet, Afghanistan, and Iran are the countries that contribute to the stream of the immigrant population in India. When it comes to emigration from India, an estimated 20 million people of the Indian Diaspora are present in around 110 countries across the world.  

Causes of Migration

Several reasons influence people’s decision to migrate. It’s never easy to move away from one’s place of birth. The emotional attachment to this place is usually very strong. Despite this, millions of people migrate, leaving behind their place of birth. While determining Migration: Type and Causes, it has been observed that the reasons why people migrate can be clustered under two heads. 

Push Factors

These are factors that force people to leave their place of origin. They are compelled to migrate from rural to urban areas due to unfavourable conditions in their place of birth. While poverty is a major cause, factors such as lack of healthcare and education facilities and high population pressure on the land, among other reasons, drive people to migrate. 

Apart from these, other factors that drive people in the rural belts to migrate are natural disasters, such as floods, cyclonic storms, drought, earthquakes, etc., and local conflict. Rural areas lack sufficient infrastructure to protect people against natural disasters. This exposes them to the vagaries of nature, which cause damage to life and property.

Pull Factors

There are numerous pull factors that attract people from rural areas to urban spaces. The most important pull factor for the majority of the rural migrants is the availability of regular work along with relatively higher wages. 

Easier access to education facilities, better healthcare infrastructure, and multiple sources of entertainment are also quite important pull factors. Overall, urban areas offer better living conditions. From proper hygiene and sanitation maintenance to well-built accommodations, the perks of living in a city are many.

Consequences of Migration

In addition to knowing about Migration: Types and Causes, it is equally necessary to know about the consequences that come along with it. People migrate as a result of the uneven distribution of opportunities across geographies. Trends in migration show that people tend to move from places where opportunities are scarce, and safety levels are low to places that offer better opportunities for livelihood and higher levels of safety.

While the move may seem logical, it does create problems for the areas the migrants are moving to and coming from. The consequences of migration have economic, social, cultural, political, and demographic implications.

Economic Consequences 

Remittances sent by international migrants and internal migrants greatly benefit the regions from which they have migrated. The money received is used for buying food, repaying debts, treatment, marriages, children’s education, agricultural inputs, construction of houses, and more. On the flip side, unregulated migration to the metropolitan cities of India causes overcrowding and an unhealthy rise in population density. 

Demographic Consequences

The male population from the rural areas within the working-age group move to cities leaving behind dependents in the villages. This leads to an unbalanced sex ratio. Left without male helping hands, females have to undertake both domestic chores and farm work. Also, the loss of human resources hampers the development of rural areas.

Social Consequences

Migrants facilitate social change in their place of origin by bringing with them ideas, technologies, and life skills gained through their exposure to city life. Intermixing of cultures leading to diversity is also a result of migration. But loneliness and anonymity due to living away from family can often force people to engage in antisocial activities like crimes and drug abuse.

Environmental Consequences

Migration from rural areas causes overcrowding of urban areas and puts a lot of pressure on the existing social and physical infrastructure. Unplanned settlements and slums develop. Overuse of natural resources in these areas leads to their depletion and raises pollution levels.

Conclusion

The types, causes, and consequences of migration have been discussed here. The factors that influence people to move out of their place of origin and the way their migration impacts spaces they leave and move to, as well as people they are related to, have been described here. In addition to this topic, it is also important to study the population distribution, density, growth, and composition to develop an overall understanding of India’s population.