Migrants seem to prefer neighbouring States for livelihood

 

Delhi and its suburbs and Maharashtra were the top destinations for migrants from Uttar Pradesh while it was Jharkhand for migrants from Bihar, and Gujarat for those from Rajasthan. The 2011 Census migration data show that while about 5.63 crore people lived in States other than that of their birth, people tend to migrate to states that share borders with their home state.

 

Thus, of the nearly 129.9 lakh people who had migrated out of Uttar Pradesh, 22.4 per cent were living in Delhi in 2011; 9.1 per cent in Haryana; and 8.8 per cent in Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh was the top source of inter-state migrants.

Likewise, of the almost 79.50 lakh people who had migrated out of Bihar, 17.6 per cent were living in Jharkhand, 14.5 per cent in West Bengal and 14.1 per cent in Uttar Pradesh.

Gujarat, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh were among the top destinations for migrants from Rajasthan. Similar migration trends were seen across the country.

In the peninsular India, migration was mostly within the area. For 36.9 per cent of the emigrants from Tamil Nadu and 43.5 per cent from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka was the top destination. However, for more than half the emigrants from Karnataka (56.8 per cent), Maharashtra was the top destination.

For over a third of the inter-state emigrants from Kerala (36.9 per cent), Tamil Nadu was the preferred choice. Another 23.6 per cent had moved to Karnataka. Emigrants from Tamil Nadu also made Kerala (15.5 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (13.4 per cent) their home.

The 2011 Census data show that Maharashtra was the preferred destination for migrants not just from the neighbouring states but also for those from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal, due to its industrial sector which included textile mills in the past. About 23 per cent of the emigrants from Uttar Pradesh, 16 per cent of the emigrants from Rajasthan and 13.5 per cent from West Bengal were living in Maharashtra in 2011. The State was home to 98.08 lakh inter-state migrants during the 2011 Census.

But emigrants from Maharashtra preferred Gujarat (32.7 per cent), Karnataka (19.1 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (16.7 per cent). Just as people born in Karnataka, about two-thirds of the emigrants from Gujarat moved to Maharashtra with just about 12 per cent choosing to live in Rajasthan.