MIGRATION AND IT’S IMPACT

SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Shakeel Ahmed

Assistant professor of sociology

SUBMITTED BY:

Yashasvi Rai
B.A.LLB
Roll number- 2379
2nd SEMESTER

THIS FINAL DRAFT IS SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILMENT IN

SOCIOLOGY FOR COMPLETION OF B.A. LLB

MAY 2021

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

1|Sociology
DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE

I, hereby, declare that the work reported in the B.A. LL.B (Hons.) project report titled
“Migration and it’s impact” submitted at Chanakya National Law University, Patna is an
authentic record of my work carried out under the supervision of Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, Assistant
Professor of Sociology. I have not submitted this work elsewhere for any other degree or
diploma. I am fully responsible for the contents of my Project Report.

Yashasvi Rai

Roll No. 2379

B.A. LLB. (Hons.)

2|Sociology
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher takes this opportunity to express his profound gratitude and deep regards to his

guide, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement

throughout the course of this project. The blessing, help and guidance given by him time to time

shall carry the researcher a long way in the journey of life on which the researcher is about to

embark.

The success and final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and assistance from

many people and I am extremely privileged to have got this all along the completion of this

project.

Last, but not the least, I am thankful to all the members of my family, friends and teachers

without whose assistance and encouragements I could not have completed my thesis.

Yashasvi Rai

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………….Page 5
 Aims and Objectives
 Review of literature
 Hypothesis
 Research questions
 Research Methodology
 Limitations of the research

2. Historical aspect of migration.…………………………………….……….…… Page 8

3 Types & concepts relating to migration.………..………….………………..……. Page 9

4 Effects of migration………………..………………..………………………..…….Page 12

5 Impacts of internal & international migration on Indian development……..….…..Page 16

6 conclusion & Suggestions…………………………………………………….……Page 17

7 Bibliograpy………………………………………………………………………....Page 20

CHAPTER- 1

INTRODUCTION
4|Sociology
 Migration is the movement by people from one place to another with the intentions of settling,
permanently or temporarily in a new location. The movement is often over long distances and
from one country to another, but internal migration is also possible; indeed, this is the dominant
form globally. People may migrate as individuals, in family units or in large groups. Migration
is the third factor for changes in the population, the other being birth rate and death
rate.  Migration is not a biological event like birth rate and death rate, but is influenced by the
social, cultural, economic and political factors. Migration is carried by the decision of a person or
group of persons. The study of migration is also useful for formulating economic and other
policies by the government, economists, sociologists, politicians, and planners along with
demographers. Migration shows the trends of social changes. A number of social scientists have
examined immigration from a sociological perspective, paying particular attention to how
immigration affects, and is affected by, matters of race and ethnicity, as well as social structure.
Migration may be permanent or temporary with the intention of returning to the place of origin in
future. From the historical viewpoint during the process of industrialisation and economic
development, people migrate from farms to industries, from villages to cities, from one city to
another and from one country to another. In modern times, technological changes are taking
place in Asia, Africa and Latin America due to which these regions are witnessing large-scale
migration from rural to urban areas.

An important effect of industrialisation and economic development is the internal migration of

the population on a large scale, which has drawn the attention of planners and formulaters of
economic policies. 

People who move from one place to another in search of work or shelter are called migrants.
Most of the times migrants people are not skilled or educated therefore they usually employed as
daily wagers (workers who are paid at the end of each day, for their services). Daily wagers do
not get enough money for the survival of their families and suffering from many problems such
as they do not have enough food to eat, sanitation, hygiene, a proper place to live etc.

Migration is becoming a very important subject for the life of cities. Many opportunities and
attraction of big cities pull large numbers of people to big cities. Migration can have positive as
well as negative effects on the life of the migrants.

5|Sociology
 Aims and Objectives

1) The researcher aims at understanding the nature of migration.

2) The researcher aims at understanding the impact of migration in positive and negative aspect.

3) The researcher aims at observing the perception and impact of migration on Indian society.

Review of literature

 Primary sources:
Field work and legal sources.
 Secondary sources:
Books, newspapers, journals, magazines and websites.

Hypothesis

1. Unemployment is one of the important reasons behind the decision to migrate to work
into a developed country.
2. For all over development people migrates from one place to another.

Research Methodology
For the purpose this project, the researcher will employ both doctrinal and non-doctrinal research
methods to look for the information related to the migration & its impact in India.
Data is gathered on a small part of the whole India about migration and its impact.

Limitations of the research

Area of limitations-

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Every study has own limitation due to limited time, lack of sufficient financial sources and
limited area of survey/study of the subject matter.

Chapter 2

Historical aspect of migration

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India has a long history of migration. More than a century ago, large numbers of Indian migrants
– many of them involuntary ones moved to Africa, the Caribbean and within the Indian
subcontinent itself. Some of the top destinations of Indian migrants in more recent decades
include Persian Gulf countries, North America and Europe.1

In 1947, upon the Partition of India, large populations moved from India to Pakistan and vice
versa, depending on their religious beliefs. The partition was created by the Indian Independence
Act 1947 as a result of the dissolution of the British Indian Empire. The partition displaced up to
17 million people in the former British Indian Empire, with estimates of loss of life varying from
several hundred thousand to a million. Muslim residents of the former British India migrated
to Pakistan (including East Pakistan, now Bangladesh), whilst Hindu and Sikh residents of
Pakistan and Hindu residents of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) moved in the opposite
direction.

In modern India, estimates based on industry sectors mainly employing migrants suggest that
there are around 100 million circular migrants in India. Caste, social networks and historical
precedents play a powerful role in shaping patterns of migration.2

Research by the Overseas Development Institute identifies a rapid movement of labor from

slower- to faster-growing parts of the economy. Migrants can often find themselves excluded by
urban housing policies, and migrant support initiatives are needed to give workers improved
access to market information, certification of identity, housing and education.

In the riots which preceded the partition in the Punjab region, between 200,000 and 500,000
people were killed in the retributive genocide. U.N.H.C.R. estimates 14 million Hindus, Sikhs
and Muslims were displaced during the partition. Scholars call it the largest mass migration in
human history. In a book author calls it "history's greatest migration.”3

1
Article by- "Support for migrant workers: the missing link in India's development?". Overseas
Development Institute. September 2008

2
Journal - Migration Letters

3
Pakistan: History, Culture, and Government by Nigel Smith(book)

8|Sociology
9|Sociology
 Chapter 3

Types & concept relating to migration

There are following types of migration in India are:

(i) Immigration and Emigration:

When people from one country move permanently to another country, for example, if people
from India move to America then for America, it is termed as Immigration, whereas for India it
is termed as Emigration.

Though immigration and emigration are movement of people from one country to another, the
former means movement of people to a country and the later means movement from a country.
In simple words, Immigration can be called as moving into a country and emigration as moving
out of a country.4

(ii) In-migration and Out-migration:

In-migration means migration occurring within an area only, while out-migration means
migration out of the area. Both types of migration are called internal migration occurring within
the country. Migration from Bihar to Bengal is in-migration for Bengal, while it is out- migration
for Bihar.

In-migration is the process of people moving into a new area in their country to live there
permanently. Out-migration is the process of people moving out of an area in their country to
move to another area in their country permanently.5

(iii) Gross and Net Migration:

During any time period, the total number of persons coming in the country and the total number
of people going out of the country for residing is called gross migration. The difference between
the total number of persons coming to reside in a country and going out of the country for
residing during any time period is termed as net migration.

(iv) Internal Migration and External Migration:

4
www. Study IQ.com
5
www.sociollogydiscussion.com

10 | S o c i o l o g y
Internal migration means the movement of people in different states and regions within a country
from one place to another. Internal migration tends to be travel for education and for economic
improvement or because of a natural disaster or civil disturbance.

On the other hand, external or international migration refers to the movement of people from one
country to another for permanent settlement. The causes of external migration may be economic
or educational, but they are often motivated by political, family, religious, environmental or
natural disaster factors.

In general, economic factors are the main cause of emigration around the world. Within these
reasons, labor migration is distinguished (when the motive of emigration is based on the search
for employment) and the brain drain or highly qualified migration, which refers to the migration
of trained professionals motivated by the search for better job opportunities.6

External migration is a global phenomenon that progressively increases its scope, complexity
and impact. Migration is both the cause and effect of broader development processes and an
intrinsic feature of an increasingly globalized world.7

Concepts Relating to Migration:

Besides, the following concepts are used in migration:

(i) Migration Stream:

Migration stream means the total number of people migrating from one region to another or from
one country to another for residing during a time period. It is, in fact, related to the movement of
people from a common area of origin to a common area of a destination.

For example, migration of Indians to America during a time interval.

A constant flow of migrants from the same origin to the same destination.8

(ii) Migration Interval:

Migration may occur continuously over a period of time. But to measure it correctly, the data
should be divided into intervals of one to five or more years. The division relating to a particular
period is known as migration interval.

The area of destination is the area of residence at the end of the migration interval.
6
Migration in India: Links to Urbanization, Regional Disparities and Development Policies (book) pg no.-6
7
www.lifepersona.com/external-migration-reasons-factors-and-consequences
8
www. quizlet.com/.../ap-human-geography-chapter-3

11 | S o c i o l o g y
(iii) Place of Origin and Place of Destination:

The place which people leave is the place of origin and the person is called an out-migrant. On
the other hand, the place of destination is the place where the person moves and the person is
called an in-migrant.

(iv) Migrant:

Migrant is the labour which moves to some region or country for short periods of time, say
several months or a few years. It is regarded as a secondary labour force.9

Chapter- 4

Effects of Migration

9
www.studylecturesnotes.com

12 | S o c i o l o g y
Migration affects the place where from people migrate and the place to which they migrate.
When the migrants move from rural to urban areas, they have both positive and negative effects
on the society and economy. The effects of migration in Indian society are as follows:

(i) Effects on Rural Areas:

1. Economic Effects:

When population migrates from rural areas, it reduces the pressure of population on land, the per
worker output and productivity on land increases and so does per capita income. Thus family
income rises which encourages farmers to adopt better means of production thereby increasing
farm produce.

Those who migrate to urban areas are mostly in the age group of 18-40 years. They live alone,
work and earn and remit their savings to their homes at villages. Such remittances further
increase rural incomes which are utilised to make improvements on farms which further raise
their incomes. This particularly happens in the case of emigrants to foreign countries who remit
large sums at home.

Moreover, when these migrants return to their villages occasionally, they try to raise the
consumption and living standards by bringing new ideas and goods to their homes. Modern
household gadgets and other products like TV, fridge, motor cycles, etc. have entered in the
majority of rural areas of India where larger remittances flow from urban areas.

Further, with the migration of working age persons to urban areas the number of farm workers is
reduced. This leads to employment of underemployed family members on the farm such as
women, older persons and even juveniles.10

Further, out-migration widens inequalities of income and wealth in rural area families which
receive large remittances and their incomes rise. They make improvements on their farms which
raise productivity and production. These further increase their incomes. Some even buy other
farm lands. Thus such families become richer as compared to others, thereby widening
inequalities.

2 Demographic Effects:

10
Internal Migration in Contemporary India by Deepak K. Mishra(book)

13 | S o c i o l o g y
Migration reduces population growth in rural areas. Separation from wives for long periods and
the use of contraceptives help control population growth. When very young males migrate to
urban areas, they are so influenced by the urban life that they do not like to marry at an early age.

Their aim is to earn more, settle in any vocation or job and then marry. Living in urban areas
makes the migrants health conscious. Consequently, they emphasize on the importance of health
care, and cleanliness which reduces fertility and mortality rates.

3. Social Effects:

Migration also affects the social set-up of rural communities. It weakens the joint family system
if the migrants settle permanently in urban areas. With intermingling of the migrants with people
of different castes and regions in cities, they bring new values and attitudes which gradually
change old values and customs of ruralites.

Women play a greater role in the social setup of the rural life with men having migrated to
towns. There are various other social effects of migration on society.11

(ii) Effects on Urban Areas:

1. Demographic Effects:

Migration increases the population of the working class in urban areas. But the majority of
migrants are young men between the ages of 15 to 24 years who are unwed. Others above this
age group come alone leaving their families at home.

This tendency keeps fertility at a lower level than in rural areas. Even those who settle
permanently with their spouses favour small number of children due to high costs of rearing
them. The other factor responsible for low fertility rate is the availability of better medical and
family planning facilities in urban areas.

2. Economic Effects:

11
IbId

14 | S o c i o l o g y
The effects of migration on income and employment in urban areas are varied depending upon
the type of migrants. Usually the migrants are unskilled and find jobs of street hawkers,
shoeshine boys, carpenters, masons, tailors, rickshaw pullers, cooks and other tradesmen, etc.

These are “informal sector” activities which are low paying. But, the evidence suggests that the
bulk of employment in the informal sector is economically efficient and profit-making. Thus
such migrants earn enough to spend and remit to their homes.12

Other migrants who are educated up to the secondary level find jobs as shop helpers, assistants,
taxi drivers, repairing machines and consumer durables, marketing goods and in other informal
activities that are small in scale, labour intensive and unregulated. Their earnings are sufficient to
bring them in the category of a common urbanite with an income level higher than the unskilled
workers.

Another class of migrants that is very small is of those who come for higher education in
colleges and institutes to towns. They find good job in the “formal sector”, get good salaries, and
follow a good standard of living. These are the persons who remit large sums to their homes and
help in modernizing the rural scenario.

(iii) Adverse Effects of Rural-Urban Migration:

Migration from rural to urban areas has a number of adverse effects. Towns and cities in which
the migrants settle, face innumerable problems. There is the prolific growth of huge slums and
shantytowns. These settlements and huge neighbourhoods have no access to municipal services
such as clean and running water, public services, electricity, and sewage system.

There is acute housing shortage. The city transport system is unable the meet the demand of the
growing population. There are air and noise pollutions, and increased crime and congestion. The
costs of providing facilities are too high to be met, despite the best intentions of the local bodies.

Besides, there is massive underemployment and unemployment in towns and cities. Men and
women are found selling bananas, groundnuts, balloons and other cheap products on pavements
and in streets. Many work as shoeshines, parking helpers, porters, etc.

Thus, urban migration increases the growth rate of job seekers relative to its population growth,
thereby raising urban supply of labour. On the demand side, there are no enough jobs available
for the ruralities in the formal urban sector for the uneducated and unskilled rural migrants.

Consequently, this rapid increase in labour supply and the lack of demand for such labour lead to
chronic and increasing urban unemployment and underemployment.13

12
According to report by ILO (2012)
13
www.sociodiscussion.com

15 | S o c i o l o g y
Migration affects the place where from people migrate and the place to which they migrate.
When the migrants move from rural to urban areas, they have both positive and negative effects
on the society and economy. These are the effects of migration all over on the Indian society. 14

14
Internal migration in India: A very moving story
By: Amitabh Kundu & P C Mohanan

16 | S o c i o l o g y
 Chapter 5

Impacts of internal and international migration on Indian development

The impacts of internal and international migration on Indian development are as follows:

 Internal migration often involves longer working hours, poor living and working
conditions, social isolation and poor access to basic amenities

 While there seems to be some positive impact on incomes and investment, the major
function of internal migration is to act as a ‘safety valve’ in poor areas

 Most migrant labourers in India are employed in the unorganized sector, where the lack
of regulation compounds their vulnerability; they are largely ignored by government and
NGO programmes

 Legislation regarding migrants fails because regulatory authorities are over-stretched; the
state sees migrants as a low priority; and migrant workers have little support from civil
society

 International migrants have mainly come from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Punjab, and have consisted of people with professional expertise of technical
qualifications migrating to industrialized countries; and skilled and semi-skilled workers
migrating to the Middle East

 Overseas migrants account for less than one per cent of the total workforce of India, so
have little direct impact on the national labour market; however, the effects are
significant in major sending regions such as Kerala, where there emigration has reduced
unemployment

 Emittances are the main benefit of external migration, providing scarce foreign exchange
and scope for higher levels of savings and investments15

 In Kerala, remittances made up 21 per cent of state income in the 1990s, and emigration
appears to have increased the wealth of the state.16

15
www. quizlet.com/.../ap-human-geography-chapter-4
16
http://www.eldis.org/about/contribute.

17 | S o c i o l o g y
 Chapter 6

Conclusion and Suggestions

Migration is not exclusive to humans. Animals migrate too, but in this lesson, we shall look at
Migration of people.

It is the movement of a person or a group of people, to settle in another place, often across a
political or administrative boundary. Migration can be temporal or permanent, and it may be
voluntary or forced. Migration is the third factor for changes in the population, the other being
birth rate and death rate.  Migration is not a biological event like birth rate and death rate, but is
influenced by the social, cultural, economic and political factors. Migration is carried by the
decision of a person or group of persons.

There are two important terms that relate to migration:

Immigration (people coming in from elsewhere) and Emigration (people leaving their home
country). Immigration is when people move from other places into a place to settle. Such
migrants are called immigrants. Emigration is when people move out to new places, and the
migrants involved are called emigrants.

Migration is not a new thing — it is known historically, that people have always had migratory
lifestyles. There is enough evidence that people have moved from faraway places to inhabit new
areas. There has been several bulk movement of people in the history of humans, all of which
were caused by some specific events during those times.

The study of migration is also useful for formulating economic and other policies by the
government, economists, sociologists, politicians, and planners along with demographers.
Migration shows the trends of social changes.

For a large country like India, the study of movement of population in different parts of the
country helps in understanding the dynamics of the society better. Labour migration is an
important factor affecting the course of socioeconomic development in India. Accelerated

18 | S o c i o l o g y
movement of people originating mainly from the rural and backward areas in search of
employment has been one of the most important features of the labour market scenario in India.

India has a long history of migration. More than a century ago, large numbers of Indian migrants
– many of them involuntary ones moved to Africa, the Caribbean and within the Indian
subcontinent itself. Some of the top destinations of Indian migrants in more recent decades
include Persian Gulf countries, North America and Europe. Migration in India is primarily of
two types long term migration- resulting the relocation of an individual or household Short term
migration- involving a back and forth movement between a source and destination. Mostly short
term migration belongs to socially economically deprived groups such as scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes having negligible educational attainment, limited assets and resource deficits.

Due to the increasing trends of shifting people from rural to urban areas, urban areas are
suffering from many problems such as slums, high population density, overcrowding and lack of
infrastructural facilities. So, government has started some Rural Development Programmes such
as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Indira Aawas
Yojana (IAY), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Integrated Watershed
Management Programme (IWMP), etc. These programmes were also necessary for the
development of the rural areas of the country but all are not sufficient to stop rural-urban
migration.

The Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) is one of the five major components
of former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdual Kalam’s dream, his vision2020 for a developed India.
The PURA defers from the conventional ideas of economic development of rural areas in
different ways. It aims at a comprehensive development of rural areas to generate urban level
income and not mere poverty alleviation. It seeks modern industry investment in the migration
from rural to urban in intra state is been increasing slowly with industrialization and
modernization in India.

The researcher, thus after examining the above facts and impacts, would like to suggest
following things:

1. Increase financial and human resources in migration prone areas

2. Promote public- private partnership for promotion of safe internal migration
3. Providing banking facilities for migrants to enable safe and secure transfer of
remittances.
4. More focus in national development plans (Five Year Plans, Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission and City Development Plans).

19 | S o c i o l o g y
5. Establishment of a universal national minimum social security package covering
minimum wages and labour standards and incorporating portability of benefits in all
government social protection schemes and public services.
6. Design special outreach strategies for migrants within public services and government
programmes.
7. Adopting development strategies in backward areas such as sustainable livelihood
opportunities, food security.

20 | S o c i o l o g y
 Bibliography

For the purpose of completing the research project, the researcher consulted the following
sources:

Journal Articles:

1. Internal migration in India: A very moving story

By: Amitabh Kundu & P C Mohanan
2. Arkin, A. K. (1981). The Contribution of Indians in the South African Economy, Durban: Institute
for Social and Economic Research, University of Durban Westville.
https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Contribution_of_the_Indians_to_the_S.ht ml?
id=hMtBAAAAYAAJ&redir
3. Jain, Prakash, C(1999). Indians in South Africa: Political Economy of Race Relations.
New Delhi: Kalinga Publications. http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n89113590
4. Internal Migration in India: Are the Underprivileged Migrating More?
By- R. B. Bhagat

Websites:

1. www.wikipedia.com
2. www.shodhgana.com
3. www.sociodiscussion.com
4. www.studylecturesnotes.com
5. www.research/gate.com
6. www.weforum.org

Books

1. Internal Migration in Contemporary India

By Deepak K. Mishra
2. Pakistan: History, Culture, and Government
By Nigel Smith

21 | S o c i o l o g y