People have been on the move since time immemorial However in recent years global change has increased migration considerably Rapid urbanization and industrialization of the areas have generated more employment opportunities and also created better infrastructure People newlinemigrate to such regions perceiving them as greener pastures For many people around the state moving away from their home town or village can be the best and in sometimes the only options open to improve their life chances Migration can be hugely effective in improving the income education and participation of individuals and families and enhancing their childrens future prospects Human Development Report 2009 Migration in India is mostly influenced by social structures and pattern of development The development policies by all the governments since independence have accelerated the process of migration Uneven development is the main cause of migration Added to it are the disparities amongst different social economic classes Mitra and Murayama 2008 The landless poor who mostly belong to low castes indigenous communities and economically backward regions newlineconstitute the major portion of migration The total migrants as per the Census of 1971 were 167 million persons 1981 Census 213 million 1991 Census 232 million and 2001 Census 307 millions Census 1971 1981 1991 and 2001 As per the provisional Census data of 2011 the estimated rate of net rural to newlineurban migration has marginally increased from 21 percent in 1991 to 2001 to 24 percent in 2001 to 2011 It has been estimated that the number of internal migrants is nearly four times the number of international migrants UNDP 2009 The two sources of data on migration in India come from the population census and NSSO Reports The Census of India has been the main source of information on migration Until 1951 the Census data on migration had limited scope since it was based on place of birth and place of enumeration From 1961 the scope of inquiry was expanded to include data on duration at 2 resident and place |