In our country, the migration of rural people to towns and cities is increasing drastically. This is causing serious problems both in the rural as well as in the urban areas. In fact, things are becoming really unmanageable. Can you analyze this problem in detail and indicate not only the socio-economic but also the emotional and attitudinal factors responsible for this problem? Also, distinctly bring out why—1) Educated rural youth are trying to shift to urban areas;2) Landless poor people are migrating to urban slums;3) Even some farmers are selling off their land and trying to settle in urban areas taking up petty jobs. What feasible steps can you suggest which will be effective in controlling this serious problem of our country?
What the examiner wants
Analyse socio-economic, emotional and attitudinal drivers of rural-urban migration, separately for three groups, and suggest steps.
Demand-wise check
- 1Socio-economic: low farm income, fragmentation, lack of non-farm jobs, poor schools and hospitals, caste oppression; urban pull of wages and services≈50 words
- 2Emotional and attitudinal: aspiration for status, perception of farming as low-prestige, escape from caste and social control, peer and media influence, 'bright lights' effect≈50 words
- 3Educated youth: no jobs matching their degrees in villages, desire for white-collar status; landless poor: seasonal survival, debt, wage gap, casual urban work; farmers selling land: unviable farming, high land prices near cities, wish to invest in children's education≈50 words
- 4Steps: rural non-farm jobs (food processing, MSME clusters), PURA-type amenities, skilling, FPOs, better rural schools and health; urban side: rental housing, portable welfare (ONORC)≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Writing one combined explanation instead of separating the three groups
- Only economic factors and ignoring emotional and attitudinal ones
Draw this
- Push-pull diagram with separate arrows for educated youth, landless poor and farmers
Value addition
- DataCensus 2011 counted about 45.6 crore internal migrants, roughly 37% of the population.Census 2011
- ThinkerHarris-Todaro model (1970): people migrate on expected, not actual, urban income.Harris and Todaro, 1970
- SchemeOne Nation One Ration Card (rolled out nationally by 2022) makes PDS benefits portable for migrants.Department of Food and Public Distribution
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 39 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 29 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 31 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
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