The United Nations’ International Migrants Day is observed on December 18 to recognise the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants worldwide. The day is celebrated to identify and curb all kinds of violence and abuse faced by the migrants and their family members and advocate respect for their primary human rights.
UN member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations observe the day through the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the design of actions to ensure their protection.
Migrants constitute about one third of India’s urban population and the share has been increasing. The share of migrants in the urban population has increased from 31.6 per cent in 1983 to 33 per cent in 1999-2000 and to 35 per cent in 2007-2008 (NSSO 2007-2008). All three sectors of the Indian economy, agriculture, industry and services employ very large numbers of migrant workers. The major sub sectors using migrant labourers are textiles, construction, stone quarries and mines, brick kilns, small-scale industry and street vending.
There are 106 urban local bodies (UlBs) in Odisha and every urban body in the State has more or less migrant populations. Bhubaneswar as the capital city has attracted migrants from both rural and urban areas for better opportunity for business and employment. There is not enough provision for the housing and other infrastructural facility for the migrant people in the city. They suffer from poor living and working conditions, social isolation, poor access to basic amenities, while most of them settled down in slum pockets.
A majority of the world’s people live in urban areas, yet in India, the majority of the population is still rural. There are gaps in key development indicators between urban and rural dwellers in many low- and middle-income cities in India. The gap has started since India’s independence in 1947 and the country’s growth was based to develop urban areas more than the rural areas by introducing industrialisation and urban infrastructure. This has caused an imbalance between urban and rural areas. There is a linkage between the rural and urban development. These linkages matter because rural and urban livelihoods are interconnected economically and socially. From a rural perspective, most farmers depend on urban markets to secure their livelihoods. Rural households also depend on urban centers or small towns for various services as hospitals, banks, and Government offices etc. likewise, urban areas are linked to the rural sector through several channels. For example, various urban businesses and enterprises depend on rural area for their goods and services. They also rely on rural areas for the supply of raw materials. Urban consumers, on the other hand, benefit from cheap and sustained food supply from rural areas.
Rural urban disparities in development influence migration pattern in Indian cities. This is due to imbalance in the level of development between rural and urban area. Opportunities in urban areas for employment and education etc have been a pull factor attracting migration from rural to urban areas and from smaller towns and cities to larger urban areas. The main reason for rural migrants to urban areas is high rates of unemployment, poverty, small size of land holdings and lack of infrastructural development. It leads to overpopulation of urban areas.
The global plan of action outlined in the Habitat Agenda emphasises the interdependence between urban and rural areas and the need to promote their balanced development. So, rural and urban areas should be connected by infrastructure, principally transport, electricity and telecommunication networks. Public policies and urban and regional plans can help support economic growth while protecting natural and agricultural land uses.
A majority of the villages in the country still face constraints such as access to education, health facilities, drinking water, power, roads etc. A Village Development Plans (VDPs) can be adopted to integrate development of the villages in an integrated manner. This would include economic development, infrastructural development and other aspects of human development i.e., education, health, drinking water supply etc.
The Constitution of India (under Article 19, which is a fundamental right of citizens) gives the right to citizens to travel, reside and carry out any trade, profession or business in any part of the country. The 73rd and 74th amendments initiated the processes for introducing institutional arrangements for seeking integrated development of settlements, areas and regions. For this purpose these amendments provide for two types of committees namely District Planning Committee and Metropolitan Planning Committee. These committees would ensure that the plans prepared by local bodies at village and town levels are integrated and accommodated within the framework of 20 to 25 years perspective plans and 5 years economic development plans prepared at the national and State levels.
Institute of Town Planners, India in the year 1995 conducted a study to detail out urban development plan formulation and implementation (UDPFI) guidelines. The basic purpose of the study was to arrive at a methodology of plan preparation that would not only help to prepare better master plans but also help in achieving integrated development of rural-urban areas. The UDPFI guidelines suggest various institutional support mechanisms that would help in achieving rural-urban integration.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Committee on Socio-Economic Measures to Alleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas, at its meeting in December 2001, recommended that, “Governments pay more attention to the development of small and medium-sized towns and build the capacity for poverty alleviation of local Governments in those towns in order to reduce the pressure on mega-cities” .The United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) High level Segment in Geneva in 2003 urged Governments to “Promote rural-urban linkages by developing and strengthening a system of intermediate-size secondary and tertiary settlements (towns) to stimulate rural development as well as to minimize the negative impacts of rural-urban migration.
Despite these developments, there is a wide gap between rural and urban India with respect to technology, living condition and economic empowerment etc. Rural India mostly depends on agricultural sector.
The growth rate in primary sector (agriculture) is 2-3 per cent when compared to secondary and tertiary sector which are growing at the rate of 8-12 per cent. Due to this there is a large scale migration of labour forces from rural to urban in search of employment.
Urban-rural integration of the Yanliang district in China is a good example of this implementation mechanism. The integration strategy was designed to encompass urban-rural economic restructuring, coordination of urban-rural economic ties, unified planning of the urban-rural ecosystem, computerized management of the infrastructure in an attempt to develop urban and rural relationship.
This type of city model can be followed in India for rural-urban integration.
(Dr Praharaj teaches at the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)