Identify the correct statements about Rural-Urban Migration.
(A) Migration is mainly caused by an unbalanced pattern of development between rural and urban areas.
(B) Over migration results in growth of slum areas.
(C) Rural-Urban migration balances the urban sex ratio.
(D) The rural-urban migration is dominated by the share of male and adult migrants.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only
Rural-urban migration is the movement of people from villages to towns and cities, mostly in search of work.
(A) Migration is mainly caused by an unbalanced pattern of development between rural and urban areas. — Correct. Cities have more jobs and services, while villages have few. This gap in development pulls people towards the cities.
(B) Over migration results in growth of slum areas. — Correct. When too many people crowd into a city, many cannot afford proper housing. They end up in slums and shanty colonies.
(C) Rural-Urban migration balances the urban sex ratio. — Incorrect. Mostly men move to the cities and leave their families in the village. This creates imbalances in sex ratio in both the village and the city.
(D) The rural-urban migration is dominated by the share of male and adult migrants. — Correct. Mostly men of working age migrate. Their wives, children and elderly parents stay back in the village.
Note: Statements (B) and (C) are based on the pre-rationalised NCERT book. The latest edition (2026-27) does not have this part. An extract of the pre-rationalised NCERT book is given below for the benefit of students.
NCERT (2026-27): “Rural–Urban Migration … Population flow from rural to urban areas is caused by many factors, like high demand for labour in urban areas, low job opportunities in rural areas and unbalanced pattern of development between urban and rural areas.” “In developing countries, poor, semi-illiterate and the unskilled like Ramesh migrating from rural areas frequently end up performing menial jobs at low wages in informal sector in urban areas. Since wages are very low to support the family at the place of destination, the spouses are left behind in rural areas to look after children and elderly people. Thus, the rural-urban migration stream is dominated by the males.”
Pre-rationalised NCERT: “Demographic Consequences … Migration leads to the redistribution of the population within a country. Rural urban migration is one of the important factors contributing to the population growth of cities. Age and skill selective out migration from the rural area have adverse effect on the rural demographic structure. However, high out migration from Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Maharashtra have brought serious imbalances in age and sex composition in these states. Similar imbalances are also brought in the recipients states.” “Environmental Consequences … Overcrowding of people due to rural-urban migration has put pressure on the existing social and physical infrastructure in the urban areas. This ultimately leads to unplanned growth of urban settlement and formation of slums shanty colonies.” |