Socio-economic study of out migration in hills of Uttarakhand
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Date
2022-10
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G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar
Abstract
The process of migration is an inevitable phenomenon existing since the beginning of mankind but hills of Uttarakhand have experienced drastic decline in its population growth as a result of alarming level of out-migration. Residing in foothills of Himalayas the majority of the state has hilly terrain, 10 out of its 13 districts are hilly. The decline of human capital from these districts has led to an imbalance in population structure of hills and plains as well as negligence and underutilization of other potential resources of hills. The state has higher number of migrants which are long term or permanent in nature. This abandonment has also led to rise in number of ghost villages. Uttarakhand has shown appreciable growth rate since its formation but the development is lopsided in nature implying that it’s predominantly dependent on the plain districts of the state which comprises of less than one-fourth in the state. In the backdrop of these intricate problems, present study aims to examine and compare the status of determinants driving the existing process of migration in state along with determining the effect of those determinants in labour outmigration. The study also provides an overview of the actions taken to curb migration. The objectives of the research were achieved by using descriptive and econometric methods. The results reveal the disparity in the level of the factors determining the out-migration in hills and plains of the state. The LFPR of hill districts was higher (51.66 per cent) than plain districts (41.44 per cent) while unemployment rate was lower (2.79 per cent) than plain districts (5.01 percent). The adult literacy rate of hills was observed to be more i.e. 60.5 per cent in comparison to plains i.e. 52.69 per cent. In case of functional medical facilities hills lack as there are 3.75 facilities in hills and 7.51 facilities in plains per 100 km sq. on average. The top three ranks of the composite index of socio-economic infrastructure development were occupied by the plain districts. The LFPR and composite index of infrastructure development were found to have negative relationship with number of migrants having coefficients -0.095 and -0.177 respectively. Need for employment and infrastructure were found to be the main concerns leading to migration in the state. It was observed that the efforts made by government and others are directed mostly towards providing employment and livelihood opportunities. The fragile and difficult topography has been a challenge in implementation of policies and other actions in grassroots level. Migration may be regarded as beneficial from point of view of an individual but the intensive out-migration of human capital is dreadful for the economy of the state. The policies and individual efforts needs be focused on empowering livelihood opportunities that are niche, regional, sustainable and remunerative by providing technical assistance and strengthening their market.