Migration is considered healthy for an economy, as long as it helps in shift of extra workforce from agriculture towards manufacturing and services. India is facing a “push migration” wherein people are being forced to abandon their homes in rural areas in search of jobs in urban areas. In order to stop the excessive migration, India needs to convert its rural landscape into a sustainable urban look-alike. This was also echoed by former president A P J Abdul Kalam. He called it “PURA” i.e. providing urban amenities in rural areas.
Employment- The best and most effective way to control excessive migration is to provide similar employment opportunities in rural areas. Presently, employment opportunities in manufacturing and services sector are limited to Urban India only. Majority of rural workforce is still employed in agriculture. A change can be brought about by building up high quality infrastructure in rural areas so that companies can set themselves in outskirts of cities and in rural areas.
Self-sustaining rural economy- If rural India is to be promoted as the future of Indian growth, it needs to be converting into economic hubs. This is possible by modernising agriculture, small industries, rural tourism, sports etc in rural India. A more positive outlook with help people to gain confidence in their villages and stay there.
Quality of life- Urban areas provide basic amenities like clean water, housing, sanitation, electricity, health facilities, educational facilities etc. People migrate to enjoy these basic facilities and make a better living for themselves. If the government can provide similar facilities in rural areas, people will stop looking towards urban areas for a better living.
Law and Order- lack of law and order & non-functional government institutions are pushing youngsters away from rural areas. Urban India is considered land of opportunities while rural areas are considered defunct and dead by the youth. In order to change this outlook, a strong institutional structure needs to be created so that young people can be encouraged to live in and contribute towards growth of rural areas.
Financial services- Lack of advanced financial services and financial awareness in rural areas means lack of start-ups and limited growth of businesses. The banking system needs to convert rural areas into financial hotspots by using the high population of India presently working and living in these areas.
If rural India can be made equivalent to or better than urban india, the day is not far when people would want to migrate to rural areas for a more peaceful and fulfilling lifestyle.
As per Dr Amartya Sen, India is like “sub Saharan Africa with islands of California”. With proper planning and vision, we can change the present situation and control mass migration towards urban areas.
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Migration is the process whereby the rural population moves to the urban cities for better life opportunities. The majority of internal migrants in India are short-distance, intra and inter-district migrants. The National Commission on Urbanisation defines urbanisation in India as "a process whereby the surplus population of workers from rural areas resettles in urban centres, where nonagricultural job opportunities are available". Migrants take up significant space in India’s large urban centres, with the Census 2011 indicating that almost 46 per cent of India’s urban population is migrants.
Migration of rural people to urban cities is due to several factors, most important being poverty and lack of proper education. If, however, migration becomes merely a process of transfer of rural poverty to an urban environment, it results in a concentration of misery. This is exactly what is happening in Indian cities. Migration has many negative implications and therefore, it should be avoided.
Measures to stop migration:
1. Creating educational and employment opportunities: Better schools and decentralised tertiary education can reduce the migration intentions of rural residents. The opening of schools in rural areas can promote employment opportunities by appointing teachers, headmaster and office staff. This, in turn, helps in the literacy rate also.
2. Creating better educational environment in rural areas: One of the primary reasons people migrate to urban cities is in the search for better educational opportunities for their children. Rural India lacks efficient education system, especially institutes of higher education. Even the primary schools are not effective enough to match the educational environment in urban cities. Creating good schools and colleges would help the rural population to educate their children in an effective manner, without them needing to migrate. Proper implementation of educational programmes taken by the Indian Government in rural areas like NFE (Non-Formal Education Scheme), Operation Blackboard, Mahila Samakya (MS), District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), etc., might help in this regard
3. Improving rural economy: Rural India needs to be converted into an economic hub in order to improve its financial state. Construction of various means of irrigation like dams, canals; and means of transport like roads and railways generates employment opportunities. If there is development in roadways, the rural farmers can also transport their produce to other villages, thus facilitating the job opportunities to those involved in transport and trade. Moreover, promoting tourist activities in rural areas not only encourage job opportunities for educated rural youth like tourist guide but also increases the income of the region.
4. Improving quality of life: The improvement of the living conditions of the rural population and the task of bringing them closer to the well-being of urban dwellers are of paramount importance in stopping the migration problem in India. Improved economic capabilities, having access to health care, education, sufficient nutrition, clean water, and hygienic living conditions are essential to achieve. Opportunities to participate in political and policymaking process, to be a valued member of society with social status and dignity, while preventing food insecurity, illness, crime, and conflict would greatly help in improving living standards in rural areas.
5. Uncovering the difficulties of urban life: The glamour and pomp associated with the life of urban India prevents rural population from perceiving the actual difficulties of modern living conditions. The deplorable slum housing, struggles of surviving in big cities, issues of income and housing, possibilities of exposure to crimes and frauds, etc., might not be the signs of an ideal life one is looking for postmigration. The supply of accessible and appropriate information on possible income and true housing costs in urban areas presents a promising road to reduce intentions of rural out-migration.
The key to stop migration of rural population to urban cities is to guarantee employment and healthy living conditions. And it needs to be sustainable employment and not daily wage jobs through various employment programmes. This is the only way to ensure that people stay in the villages. As we know, agriculture is stagnating and may not be able to provide further jobs. But most villages have enough other non-farm resources, like forests, which can be used to generate livelihood. The employment programmes can just facilitate this. The master plans of cities should now have provisions to facilitate rural development so that rural India stays where it is, and lives an equivalent good life as that of urban India.