Patterns of rural urban migration: a case study of rural society in Garhwal Himalaya
Rawat, P.S.
Geography of the mountains: 235-241
1990
Document Number: 419990
Rural-urban migration has increased dramatically in recent years in India. Bose (1970) reported that over 30% of India's population was born outside the town or village in which they resided in 1961. In the rural society of Garhwal, rural-urban migration has reached alarming proportions. Approximately 40% of the total and 67% of the male population have moved from the rural district to seek work in various towns. The chapter reports the findings of a study conducted to analyse the patterns of this outward movement from the rural society of Garhwal Himalaya. A total of 291 out-migrants of two villages were selected for study. The long history of in- and out-migration in Garhwal is reviewed at the outset. It was hypothesized that spatial distance has a deterrent influence on distance travelled. Neither of these hypotheses was upheld by the study's findings. The three tyes of migration identified: short-term, long-term and permanent, and their defining characteristics, are discussed. The relationship between caste type and migration, the incidence of sponsorship, return visits and the process of chain migration are also discussed.