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.