MIGRATION

Concept:

The United Nations defines migration as the movement of a person or persons from one place to another, involving a permanent move of home for over 1 year.

“Human Migration is the permanent change of residence by an individual or groups, excluding such movements as nomadism and migrant labour”.

Types:

Internal migration:- This refers to a change of residence within national boundaries, such as between states, provinces, cities, or municipalities.

International migration:- This refers to change of residence over national boundaries. An international migrant is someone who moves to a different country.

International migrants are further classified:

  1. Legal immigrants are those who moved with the legal permission of the receiver nation.
  1. Lllegal immigrants are those who moved without legal permission.
  1. Refugees are those who crossed an international boundary to escape persecution.

Causes:

Economic Causes of Migration:

Urbanization (moving to cities due to poor economic conditions
in rural areas)

Migration to the suburbs to ensure better living conditions especially better school districts, less populated living conditions

Political Causes of Migration:

Migration as punishment for crimes committed

Migration as a result of enslavement

Social Causes of Migration:

Migration to spread a religion

Migration to reunite with family, friends, etc.who have previously migrated


Consequences:

Economic consequences:

  1. Negative consequences:
    Unregulated migration to the metropolitan cities of India has caused overcrowding.

Social consequences:

Environmental consequences:

  1. Positive consequences:
    Migrants act as agents of social change. The new ideas related to new technologies, family planning, girl’s education, etc. get spread from urban to rural areas through them.
  1. Positive consequences:
    Similarly remittances from the international Indian migrants are one of the major sources of foreign exchange in India.
  1. Negative consequences:
    It also causes anonymity, which creates social vacuum and sense of dejection among individuals

Overcrowding of people due to rural-urban migration has put pressure on the existing social and physical infrastructure in the urban areas.