QUESTION 5
GS1
10 marks
Why do large cities tend to attract more migrants than smaller towns? Discuss in the light of conditions in developing countries.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why migrants prefer large cities over small towns in developing countries.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Pull factors: jobs in industry and services, higher wages, informal sector absorption, better schools and hospitals≈35 words
- 2Network effects: migrant networks, information flow≈35 words
- 3Developing-country conditions: weak small-town economies, rural distress, urban primacy; costs (slums, congestion)≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
ContextEconomic pullSocial pullDeveloping-country structureCostsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Writing about push factors only
- Not giving developing-country examples like Lagos, Dhaka, Mumbai
Draw this
- Push–pull diagram from village and small town to metro
Value addition
- ConceptUrban primacy: in many developing countries one city is far bigger than the next (e.g. Dhaka in Bangladesh).Mark Jefferson's law of the primate city
- DataEconomic Survey 2016–17 estimated about 9 million inter-state migrants a year in India using railway data.Economic Survey 2016–17, Chapter 12
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 38 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.