Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh are among India’s eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states1. These states are also among the economically backward states which witness a higher level of inter-state out-migration for employment and work-related reasons. Another important attribute of these states is that after the North-Eastern states, these are among the states which have a higher proportion of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population. According to Census 2011, Chhattisgarh has 30.6 per cent of the ST population, followed by Jharkhand (26.2 per cent), Odisha (22.8 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (21.1 per cent). Against this backdrop, this short paper discusses migration patterns, major inter-state destinations and causes of migration from these four states.
Migration Scenario in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Graph 1 shows out-migration to other states and migration within the state boundary. In Jharkhand, while inter-state out-migrants constitute around 18.66 per cent (17,04,827 persons) of total out-migrants from the state, 81.34 per cent (74,30,091 persons) are intra-state migrants. Madhya Pradesh has around 11.98 per cent (29,79,492 persons) inter-state out-migrants and 88.02 per cent (2,18,94,713 persons) intra-state migrants. Odisha has around 8.07 per cent (12,71,121 persons) inter-state out-migrants and 91.93 per cent (1,44,88,013 persons) intra- state migrants. In Chhattisgarh, 8.41 per cent (6,93,632 persons) are inter-state out-migrants and 91.59 per cent (75,54,503 persons) are intra-state migrants.
Graph 1: Distribution of Inter-state and Intra-state Migrants (in percentage)
Source: Calculated using Census 2011, D-3
Graph 2 shows the distribution of inter-district and intra-district migrants within a state. Of the total intra-state migrants, Jharkhand has 27.87 per cent inter-district migrants (20,70,425 persons) and 72.13 per cent (53,59,666 persons) intra-district migrants. Madhya Pradesh has 32.75 per cent inter-district migrants (71,70,690 persons) and 67.25 per cent (1,47,24,023 persons) intra-district migrants. Inter-district migrants constitute 28.68 per cent (21,66,862 persons) and intra-district migrants 71.32 per cent (53,87,641 persons) in the state of Chhattisgarh. In Odisha, 23.05 per cent (33,39,611 persons) are inter-district and 76.95 per cent (1,11,48,402 persons) are intra-district migrants.
Graph 2: Distribution of Inter-District and Intra-District Migrants (in percentage)
Source: Calculated using Census 2011, D-3
Reasons for Out-Migration: Trends in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh Compared to All India Trends
The reason for migration is an important indicator that can give a good picture of the development scenario of a particular state (Sarkar, 2014). Recent migration-centric literature in the Indian context suggests that the likelihood of out-migration for employment-related reasons is most dominant among the EAG states and is also a livelihood strategy for many (Sarkar, 2019). The Census 2011 D-series data also confirm the same pattern, suggesting that employment-related out-migration is more prevalent among lower-income states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other poorer states. Literature suggests that due to high migration rates, these backward and poor states are also losing human capital (Bhagat, 2009; Chandrasekhar and Sharma, 2014) This section compares the reasons for migration from the four states with very high ST population concentration, viz., Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with the all-India level figures. The analysis is done separately for male and female migrants because male migration is mainly dominated by employment-related reasons, and female migration occurs primarily due to marriage. Aggregate analysis in this regard may give biased results.
Table 1: Reasons for Migration among Male Migrants in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and All India (in percentage)
Source: Calculated using Census-2011, D-3
Table 1 shows that among male migrants across India, on average, 24 per cent have migrated due to work- or employment-related reasons, whereas the rate is more than double the all- India figure for the states of Jharkhand (51 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (45 per cent), Odisha (58 per cent), and Chhattisgarh (47 per cent). This suggests the economic dependence on migration as a livelihood strategy among the people of these four states. In contrast, the all- India average of 2 per cent for business-related migration is similar to that of these four states. Migration for education is considered very important because it relates to the human capital development of a person. Literature suggests that migration for education, especially for higher education, and migration of those with higher education qualifications are more likely to get a higher return. Such migrants hold an advantage both at the destination and source job markets (Lucas, 1997; Kochar, 2004; Kundu, 2007). It is observed that Jharkhand has 3.72 per cent of total migrants for education purposes compared to the all-India level of 2.26 per cent. The other three states have almost a similar figure to the all-India level.
Table 2: Reasons for Migration among Female Migrants in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and All India (in percentage)
Source: Calculated using Census-2011, D-3
Table 2 shows that among female migrants across India, on average, two (2) per cent have migrated due to work- and employment-related reasons, whereas this rate is more than double for the migrants from these four states – Jharkhand 4.09 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 4.12 per cent, Odisha 6.11 per cent, and Chhattisgarh 8.93 per cent. The all-India average rate of migration for business-related reasons among female migrants is around 0.29 per cent, which is slightly lesser compared to female migrants from the states of Jharkhand (0.31 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (0.39 per cent), Odisha (0.40 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (0.38 per cent). Another important observation is that though marriage migration is most dominant in the female migration stream, it is substantially lower for the female migrants from these states, except for Jharkhand, compared to the all-India average. In Jharkhand, marriage migration is 70.06 per cent, which is higher compared to the 66.48 per cent in the all-India female migration stream, whereas for Madhya Pradesh it is 65.44 per cent, Odisha 57.76 per cent and Chhattisgarh 57.70 per cent. The comparatively lesser propensity for female marriage migration in these states is due to its higher share in the work- and employment-related migration and the ‘moved with the household’ category.
Overall, comparing Table 1 and Table 2, it is observed that the likelihood of migrating for work, employment, and business is more than double for migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh compared to the all-India average. It is also interesting to note that while marriage is the biggest reason for female migrations across India, the rate of female migrations happening due to marriage is less in these states except for Jharkhand.
Intra-state Migration stream for Scheduled Tribe
As already discussed, after the North-Eastern states, these four states have the highest number of STs; therefore, it is necessary to discuss ST migrants in these states in some detail. The prevalence of high poverty rates in this community adds another dimension to the discussion on reasons for migration. According to the Tendulkar Methodology, the percentage of the ST population below poverty line (BPL) in the rural areas during 2011-12 was 51.6 per cent in Jharkhand, 55.3 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, 63.5 per cent in Odisha, and 52.5 per cent in Chhattisgarh (Scheduled Tribe Statistical Profile, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GOI2). Studies suggest that acute poverty, debt, and alienation have put the tribal communities in the most vulnerable condition; lack of employment opportunities and meagre income opportunities have forced a greater proportion of the members of this community to migrate (Kujur and Minz 2021). Women in the tribal community actively participate in economic activity and join the migrant stream, as tribal society largely favours social equality, and women have been equal partners in contributing towards the household economy (Kumar and Deogharia 2017).
However, due to the limitation of the data, it is not possible to study the inter-state migration from these states for the ST community: therefore, this section is restricted to analysing the reasons for intra-state migration.
Table 3: Reason for Intra-State Male Migration among ST Community (in Percentage)
Source: Compiled from Census 2011, D-3 (ST)
Table 3 shows the reasons for intra-state migration among ST communities in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is observed that among the male intra-state migrant cohort, work/employment is the most dominant reason for migration in Chhattisgarh (28.14 per cent), followed by Madhya Pradesh (26.74 per cent) and Jharkhand (23.71 per cent). It is lowest in the case of Odisha (8.61 per cent). One important aspect is that there is a significant proportion of education-led migration which is highest in Chhattishgarh (8.69 per cent), followed by Odisha (6.47 per cent), Jharkhand (5.62 per cent), and Madhya Pradesh (5.03 per cent). A good proportion of male migrants belong to the ‘moved with household’ category, suggesting that migration with household members is quite prevalent.
Table 4: Reason for Intra-State Female Migration among ST Community (in percentage)
Source: Compiled from Census 2011, D-3 (ST)
Table 4 shows reasons for intra-state migration among ST women in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is observed that women mainly migrate due to marriage; however, there is also the active participation of women who migrate for work- and employment-related purposes. Notably, women in the tribal community also migrate to take up education.
Major Destinations for Inter-State Migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Despite being similar in their development attributes, these four states show diverse trends in terms of the favoured destinations of their migrants. Here, we map the leading destination states for inter-state migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
From Jharkhand
Table 5 shows that the two major destination states for migrants from Jharkhand are West Bengal (20.87 per cent) and Bihar (18.76 per cent). The main reason for such a trend is that both West Bengal and Bihar are bordering states, hence the higher propensity of migration to these states. In the case of Bihar, cultural ties also play an important role in the higher migration rate, as Jharkhand was a part of Bihar before its bifurcation in November 2000.
Table 5: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Jharkhand
Source- Compiled from Census 2011, D-13 (0-9 Years Duration of Residence)
The other major destination states are Maharashtra (9.29 per cent), Odisha (8.49 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (7.17 per cent), Chhattisgarh and Delhi. The reason for other high tribal population states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh being prominent destinations can be attributed to the fact that they have high mining activities and workers from other states are preferred, that too through labour contractors. Tribal workers often migrate through labour contractors.
From Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country, located in central India; hence, it shares a border with many other states – with Maharashtra in the south, Uttar Pradesh in the north, Chhattisgarh in the east, Maharashtra in the south, and Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west. Table 6 shows a pattern similar to that of Jharkhand. Most inter-state migrants from Madhya Pradesh prefer going to bordering states.
Table 6: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Madhya Pradesh
Source- Compiled from Census 2011, D-13 (0-9 Years Duration of Residence)
Maharashtra alone receives around 28.43 per cent of the total inter-state migrants from Madhya Pradesh. The other states which receive a higher proportion of migrants from Madhya Pradesh are Rajasthan (17.09 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (16.33 per cent), Gujarat (12.13 per cent), and Chhattisgarh (9.61 per cent).
From Odisha
Table 7 shows that major migrant-receiving states from Odisha are Gujarat (18.09 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (13.89 per cent), Chhattisgarh (12.93 per cent), and Maharashtra (11.43 per cent). Karnataka (8.29 per cent), Jharkhand (7.41 per cent) and West Bengal (7.30 per cent) are other states that receive migrants from Odisha in large numbers. Of these, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal are its neighbouring states. Another feature of inter-state out-migration from Odisha is that the higher-income states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are the main recipient states for Odisha migrants. Higher-income states, in general, attract more inter-state migrants from the poorer states due to pull factors such as higher per capita income, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and business opportunities (Sarkar, 2014).
Table 7: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Odisha
Source- Compiled from Census 2011, D-13 (0-9 Years Duration of Residence)
From Chhattisgarh
Table 8 shows the major destination states for inter-state migrants from Chhattisgarh are neighbouring states – Maharashtra (26.17 per cent), followed by Madhya Pradesh (19.66 per cent), Odisha (13.07 per cent), and Uttar Pradesh (10.74 per cent). Undivided Andhra Pradesh (at the time of Census 2011) and Jharkhand are also its neighbouring states which attract Chhattisgarhi migrants to the extent of 4.96 per cent and 4.84 per cent respectively.
Table 8: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Chhattisgarh
Source: Compiled from Census 2011, D-13 (0-9 Years Duration of Residence)
Summary
The study of migration from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh is important as they have a high concentration of tribal population. They are also poor states which lag behind on various parameters of development. The Census 2011 D-series data on migration clearly establish that the rate of out-migration for males and females from these four states for economic reasons such as ‘work and employment’ is more than double the all-India figure, reflecting the economic dependence on migration in these states. The paper also shows trends in reason-specific intra-state migration for the ST community. It is well-known that migrants from poor and backward states prefer more industrialised and urbanised states, but their choice of destinations has also evolved in a historical process. Thus, the preferred destination states vary; for example, it is observed that for the migrants from Jharkhand, the most preferred destination state is West Bengal of the total inter-state out-migrant cohort, it is Gujarat for the migrants from Odisha, and Maharashtra for migrants from both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
One implication of high migration rates from these poorer states is that they are losing the human capital needed for their development (Bhagat 2009; Chandrasekhar and Sharma 2014). However, it can also be argued that economic migration benefits these states by reducing unemployment and gaining remittances
Notes
1. The EAG states include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.
Bhagat, R. B. 2009. “Internal Migration in India: Are the Underclass More Mobile?” Paper presented in XXVI IUSSP General Population Conference, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Census of India. 2011. Migration Tables. Office of the Registrar General of India, New Delhi.
Chandrasekhar, S., and Sharma, A. 2014. “Urbanisation and Spatial Patterns of Internal Migration in India.” IGIDR Working Paper No. 2014-016. Mumbai: Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
Kochar, A. 2004. “Urban Influences on Rural Schooling in India.” Journal of Development Economics 74(1): 113–136.
Kujur, R and Minz, S. K. 2021. “Proliferation of Tribal Migrants and Repercussion: Case Study from the Tribal Areas of Sundargarh District, Odisha (India).” Current Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 4(1): 27-44.
Kumar, A and Deogharia, P. C. 2017. “Impact of MGNREGA on Rural-Urban Migration: A Case Study of Jharkhand.” Journal of Economics and Social Development 13(2): 96-113.
Kundu, A. 2007. Proceedings of Dr C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture on Migration and Exclusionary Urban Growth in India. IIPS Newsletter 48(3&4): 5-23.
Lucas, R. E. B. 1997. “Internal Migration in Developing Countries.” In Handbook of Population and Family Economics, Part –1, edited by M. Rosenzweig and O. Stark, pp. 721–798. Amsterdam, New York, and Oxford: Elsevier Science, North-Holland.
Sarkar, P. 2014. “An Analysis of Inter-state Quantum Migration in India: An Empirical Validation of the ‘Push-Pull Framework’ and Gains from Migration.” Indian Journal of Labor Economics 57(3): 267–281.
Sarkar, P. 2019. “Associated Gains from Migration.” In Handbook of Internal Migration in India, edited by Rajan, I.S. and Sumeetha, M., pp. 273–286. India: Sage.
Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and will be published only if found appropriate. Comments may take some time to appear.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *
Census-2011 Snapshot: Out-migration from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
©author(s)
Journal of Migration Affairs
Vol. V(1-2): 1-10, March 2023
DOI: 10.36931/jma.2023.5.1-2.1-10
Pdf Issue: Census-2011 Snapshot.pdf
Introduction
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh are among India’s eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states1. These states are also among the economically backward states which witness a higher level of inter-state out-migration for employment and work-related reasons. Another important attribute of these states is that after the North-Eastern states, these are among the states which have a higher proportion of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population. According to Census 2011, Chhattisgarh has 30.6 per cent of the ST population, followed by Jharkhand (26.2 per cent), Odisha (22.8 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (21.1 per cent). Against this backdrop, this short paper discusses migration patterns, major inter-state destinations and causes of migration from these four states.
Migration Scenario in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Graph 1 shows out-migration to other states and migration within the state boundary. In Jharkhand, while inter-state out-migrants constitute around 18.66 per cent (17,04,827 persons) of total out-migrants from the state, 81.34 per cent (74,30,091 persons) are intra-state migrants. Madhya Pradesh has around 11.98 per cent (29,79,492 persons) inter-state out-migrants and 88.02 per cent (2,18,94,713 persons) intra-state migrants. Odisha has around 8.07 per cent (12,71,121 persons) inter-state out-migrants and 91.93 per cent (1,44,88,013 persons) intra- state migrants. In Chhattisgarh, 8.41 per cent (6,93,632 persons) are inter-state out-migrants and 91.59 per cent (75,54,503 persons) are intra-state migrants.
Graph 1: Distribution of Inter-state and Intra-state Migrants (in percentage)
Graph 2 shows the distribution of inter-district and intra-district migrants within a state. Of the total intra-state migrants, Jharkhand has 27.87 per cent inter-district migrants (20,70,425 persons) and 72.13 per cent (53,59,666 persons) intra-district migrants. Madhya Pradesh has 32.75 per cent inter-district migrants (71,70,690 persons) and 67.25 per cent (1,47,24,023 persons) intra-district migrants. Inter-district migrants constitute 28.68 per cent (21,66,862 persons) and intra-district migrants 71.32 per cent (53,87,641 persons) in the state of Chhattisgarh. In Odisha, 23.05 per cent (33,39,611 persons) are inter-district and 76.95 per cent (1,11,48,402 persons) are intra-district migrants.
Graph 2: Distribution of Inter-District and Intra-District Migrants (in percentage)
Reasons for Out-Migration: Trends in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh Compared to All India Trends
The reason for migration is an important indicator that can give a good picture of the development scenario of a particular state (Sarkar, 2014). Recent migration-centric literature in the Indian context suggests that the likelihood of out-migration for employment-related reasons is most dominant among the EAG states and is also a livelihood strategy for many (Sarkar, 2019). The Census 2011 D-series data also confirm the same pattern, suggesting that employment-related out-migration is more prevalent among lower-income states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other poorer states. Literature suggests that due to high migration rates, these backward and poor states are also losing human capital (Bhagat, 2009; Chandrasekhar and Sharma, 2014)
This section compares the reasons for migration from the four states with very high ST population concentration, viz., Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, with the all-India level figures. The analysis is done separately for male and female migrants because male migration is mainly dominated by employment-related reasons, and female migration occurs primarily due to marriage. Aggregate analysis in this regard may give biased results.
Table 1: Reasons for Migration among Male Migrants in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and All India (in percentage)
Table 1 shows that among male migrants across India, on average, 24 per cent have migrated due to work- or employment-related reasons, whereas the rate is more than double the all- India figure for the states of Jharkhand (51 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (45 per cent), Odisha (58 per cent), and Chhattisgarh (47 per cent). This suggests the economic dependence on migration as a livelihood strategy among the people of these four states. In contrast, the all- India average of 2 per cent for business-related migration is similar to that of these four states. Migration for education is considered very important because it relates to the human capital development of a person. Literature suggests that migration for education, especially for higher education, and migration of those with higher education qualifications are more likely to get a higher return. Such migrants hold an advantage both at the destination and source job markets (Lucas, 1997; Kochar, 2004; Kundu, 2007). It is observed that Jharkhand has 3.72 per cent of total migrants for education purposes compared to the all-India level of 2.26 per cent. The other three states have almost a similar figure to the all-India level.
Table 2: Reasons for Migration among Female Migrants in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and All India (in percentage)
Table 2 shows that among female migrants across India, on average, two (2) per cent have migrated due to work- and employment-related reasons, whereas this rate is more than double for the migrants from these four states – Jharkhand 4.09 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 4.12 per cent, Odisha 6.11 per cent, and Chhattisgarh 8.93 per cent. The all-India average rate of migration for business-related reasons among female migrants is around 0.29 per cent, which is slightly lesser compared to female migrants from the states of Jharkhand (0.31 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (0.39 per cent), Odisha (0.40 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (0.38 per cent). Another important observation is that though marriage migration is most dominant in the female migration stream, it is substantially lower for the female migrants from these states, except for Jharkhand, compared to the all-India average. In Jharkhand, marriage migration is 70.06 per cent, which is higher compared to the 66.48 per cent in the all-India female migration stream, whereas for Madhya Pradesh it is 65.44 per cent, Odisha 57.76 per cent and Chhattisgarh 57.70 per cent. The comparatively lesser propensity for female marriage migration in these states is due to its higher share in the work- and employment-related migration and the ‘moved with the household’ category.
Overall, comparing Table 1 and Table 2, it is observed that the likelihood of migrating for work, employment, and business is more than double for migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh compared to the all-India average. It is also interesting to note that while marriage is the biggest reason for female migrations across India, the rate of female migrations happening due to marriage is less in these states except for Jharkhand.
Intra-state Migration stream for Scheduled Tribe
As already discussed, after the North-Eastern states, these four states have the highest number of STs; therefore, it is necessary to discuss ST migrants in these states in some detail. The prevalence of high poverty rates in this community adds another dimension to the discussion on reasons for migration. According to the Tendulkar Methodology, the percentage of the ST population below poverty line (BPL) in the rural areas during 2011-12 was 51.6 per cent in Jharkhand, 55.3 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, 63.5 per cent in Odisha, and 52.5 per cent in Chhattisgarh (Scheduled Tribe Statistical Profile, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GOI2). Studies suggest that acute poverty, debt, and alienation have put the tribal communities in the most vulnerable condition; lack of employment opportunities and meagre income opportunities have forced a greater proportion of the members of this community to migrate (Kujur and Minz 2021). Women in the tribal community actively participate in economic activity and join the migrant stream, as tribal society largely favours social equality, and women have been equal partners in contributing towards the household economy (Kumar and Deogharia 2017).
However, due to the limitation of the data, it is not possible to study the inter-state migration from these states for the ST community: therefore, this section is restricted to analysing the reasons for intra-state migration.
Table 3: Reason for Intra-State Male Migration among ST Community (in Percentage)
Table 3 shows the reasons for intra-state migration among ST communities in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is observed that among the male intra-state migrant cohort, work/employment is the most dominant reason for migration in Chhattisgarh (28.14 per cent), followed by Madhya Pradesh (26.74 per cent) and Jharkhand (23.71 per cent). It is lowest in the case of Odisha (8.61 per cent). One important aspect is that there is a significant proportion of education-led migration which is highest in Chhattishgarh (8.69 per cent), followed by Odisha (6.47 per cent), Jharkhand (5.62 per cent), and Madhya Pradesh (5.03 per cent). A good proportion of male migrants belong to the ‘moved with household’ category, suggesting that migration with household members is quite prevalent.
Table 4: Reason for Intra-State Female Migration among ST Community (in percentage)
Table 4 shows reasons for intra-state migration among ST women in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is observed that women mainly migrate due to marriage; however, there is also the active participation of women who migrate for work- and employment-related purposes. Notably, women in the tribal community also migrate to take up education.
Major Destinations for Inter-State Migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Despite being similar in their development attributes, these four states show diverse trends in terms of the favoured destinations of their migrants. Here, we map the leading destination states for inter-state migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
From Jharkhand
Table 5 shows that the two major destination states for migrants from Jharkhand are West Bengal (20.87 per cent) and Bihar (18.76 per cent). The main reason for such a trend is that both West Bengal and Bihar are bordering states, hence the higher propensity of migration to these states. In the case of Bihar, cultural ties also play an important role in the higher migration rate, as Jharkhand was a part of Bihar before its bifurcation in November 2000.
Table 5: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Jharkhand
The other major destination states are Maharashtra (9.29 per cent), Odisha (8.49 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (7.17 per cent), Chhattisgarh and Delhi. The reason for other high tribal population states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh being prominent destinations can be attributed to the fact that they have high mining activities and workers from other states are preferred, that too through labour contractors. Tribal workers often migrate through labour contractors.
From Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country, located in central India; hence, it shares a border with many other states – with Maharashtra in the south, Uttar Pradesh in the north, Chhattisgarh in the east, Maharashtra in the south, and Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west. Table 6 shows a pattern similar to that of Jharkhand. Most inter-state migrants from Madhya Pradesh prefer going to bordering states.
Table 6: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra alone receives around 28.43 per cent of the total inter-state migrants from Madhya Pradesh. The other states which receive a higher proportion of migrants from Madhya Pradesh are Rajasthan (17.09 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (16.33 per cent), Gujarat (12.13 per cent), and Chhattisgarh (9.61 per cent).
From Odisha
Table 7 shows that major migrant-receiving states from Odisha are Gujarat (18.09 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (13.89 per cent), Chhattisgarh (12.93 per cent), and Maharashtra (11.43 per cent). Karnataka (8.29 per cent), Jharkhand (7.41 per cent) and West Bengal (7.30 per cent) are other states that receive migrants from Odisha in large numbers. Of these, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal are its neighbouring states. Another feature of inter-state out-migration from Odisha is that the higher-income states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are the main recipient states for Odisha migrants. Higher-income states, in general, attract more inter-state migrants from the poorer states due to pull factors such as higher per capita income, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and business opportunities (Sarkar, 2014).
Table 7: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Odisha
From Chhattisgarh
Table 8 shows the major destination states for inter-state migrants from Chhattisgarh are neighbouring states – Maharashtra (26.17 per cent), followed by Madhya Pradesh (19.66 per cent), Odisha (13.07 per cent), and Uttar Pradesh (10.74 per cent). Undivided Andhra Pradesh (at the time of Census 2011) and Jharkhand are also its neighbouring states which attract Chhattisgarhi migrants to the extent of 4.96 per cent and 4.84 per cent respectively.
Table 8: Major Destination States for Inter-State Migrants from Chhattisgarh
Summary
The study of migration from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh is important as they have a high concentration of tribal population. They are also poor states which lag behind on various parameters of development. The Census 2011 D-series data on migration clearly establish that the rate of out-migration for males and females from these four states for economic reasons such as ‘work and employment’ is more than double the all-India figure, reflecting the economic dependence on migration in these states. The paper also shows trends in reason-specific intra-state migration for the ST community. It is well-known that migrants from poor and backward states prefer more industrialised and urbanised states, but their choice of destinations has also evolved in a historical process. Thus, the preferred destination states vary; for example, it is observed that for the migrants from Jharkhand, the most preferred destination state is West Bengal of the total inter-state out-migrant cohort, it is Gujarat for the migrants from Odisha, and Maharashtra for migrants from both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
One implication of high migration rates from these poorer states is that they are losing the human capital needed for their development (Bhagat 2009; Chandrasekhar and Sharma 2014). However, it can also be argued that economic migration benefits these states by reducing unemployment and gaining remittances
Notes
1. The EAG states include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.
2. https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/Statistics/Statistics8518.pdf.
References
Bhagat, R. B. 2009. “Internal Migration in India: Are the Underclass More Mobile?” Paper presented in XXVI IUSSP General Population Conference, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Census of India. 2011. Migration Tables. Office of the Registrar General of India, New Delhi.
Chandrasekhar, S., and Sharma, A. 2014. “Urbanisation and Spatial Patterns of Internal Migration in India.” IGIDR Working Paper No. 2014-016. Mumbai: Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
Kochar, A. 2004. “Urban Influences on Rural Schooling in India.” Journal of Development Economics 74(1): 113–136.
Kujur, R and Minz, S. K. 2021. “Proliferation of Tribal Migrants and Repercussion: Case Study from the Tribal Areas of Sundargarh District, Odisha (India).” Current Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 4(1): 27-44.
Kumar, A and Deogharia, P. C. 2017. “Impact of MGNREGA on Rural-Urban Migration: A Case Study of Jharkhand.” Journal of Economics and Social Development 13(2): 96-113.
Kundu, A. 2007. Proceedings of Dr C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture on Migration and Exclusionary Urban Growth in India. IIPS Newsletter 48(3&4): 5-23.
Lucas, R. E. B. 1997. “Internal Migration in Developing Countries.” In Handbook of Population and Family Economics, Part –1, edited by M. Rosenzweig and O. Stark, pp. 721–798. Amsterdam, New York, and Oxford: Elsevier Science, North-Holland.
Sarkar, P. 2014. “An Analysis of Inter-state Quantum Migration in India: An Empirical Validation of the ‘Push-Pull Framework’ and Gains from Migration.” Indian Journal of Labor Economics 57(3): 267–281.
Sarkar, P. 2019. “Associated Gains from Migration.” In Handbook of Internal Migration in India, edited by Rajan, I.S. and Sumeetha, M., pp. 273–286. India: Sage.