Internal Migration in India and the Impact of Uneven Regional Development and Demographic Transition across States: A Study for Evidence based Policy Recommendations

Abstract

Internal migration in India is closely linked to the pace and pattern of demographic changes and differentiated development of rural and urban areas, which affect the supply and demand for labour in different regions. India’s 2011 population and housing census shows a large increase in migrant population from 309.4 million in 2001 to 449.9 million in 2011. Across state boundaries, the number went from 41.17 million to 54.26 million over the corresponding period. Most inter-state migration is from north-central, eastern regions to western-southern regions. The present Study, sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), analyses the relationship between the pattern of migration and the pattern of development, looking at both demographic and economic variables. The Study shows a distinct pattern between the characteristics of short-term seasonal migration and those of long-term migration, even as originating states remain largely the same for both. A closer look at State policies from Odisha, Jharkhand, and Kerala shows that states have tended to focus on modal migration tendencies – shortterm out-migration in the case of Odisha and Jharkhand, and in-migration in the case of Kerala. It was found that all three studied States have in place policies and programmes to address vulnerabilities of migrants to different degrees of efficacity and success.