Consider the following statements and choose the correct ones.

Statement 1: Between 1951-2011, there has been a steady increase in terms of absolute numbers, number of UA/towns and the per cent share of the urban population in India.

Statement 2: The decennial growth rate of the urban population in India showed an increasing trend during 1981–2001.

Statement 3: The decennial growth rate of the urban population in India showed a decreasing trend during 2001-2011.

Only 1 is correct.

The correct answer is option 1: Only 1 is correct.

Statement 1: Between 1951–2011, there has been a steady increase in terms of absolute numbers, number of UA/towns and the per cent share of the urban population in India. — Correct. The urban population increased from 62.44 million people living in 2,843 towns in 1951 to 377.10 million people living in 7,935 towns in 2011. The percentage share of the urban population also increased from 17.29% to 31.16%.

Statement 2: The decennial growth rate of the urban population in India showed an increasing trend during 1981–2001. — Incorrect. The decennial growth rate showed a declining trend during 1981–2001, not an increasing trend.

Statement 3: The decennial growth rate of the urban population in India showed a decreasing trend during 2001–2011. — Incorrect. The declining trend was reversed during 2001–2011, and the growth rate showed a marginal increase.

NCERT: In 1951, 17.29% of India’s population i.e., 62.44 million people, were living in 2,843 towns. In 2011, 31.16% of India’s population i.e., 377.10 million people, were living in 7,935 towns. This shows a steady increase in terms of absolute numbers, number of UA/towns and the per cent share of the urban population. However, the decennial growth rate of the urban population showed a declining trend during 1981–2001, reversed the trend and showed marginal increase in 2011. The decennial growth rate of the urban population in 1951 was 41.42% and in 2011, it was 31.80%.