Opting farm jobs down by 14 pc in rural India

New Delhi, Oct 11: The latest NSSO data clearly brings out that urbanisation is on the march with the proportion of men employed in agriculture having declined from 81 per cent in 1977-78 to 67 per cent in 2004-05.

The data, however, indicates that migration of woman to urban areas is less marked compared to men with the decline from 88 per cent in 1977-78 to 83 per cent in 2004-05.

While the fact of migration from rural to urban areas is well known, the speed of this migration has only been established by the NSSO data on "Employment and Unemployment Situation in India, 2004-05".

The survey noted that about 44 per cent of the population in the rural areas were usually employed.

During the two years preceding the date of survey, about 1 per cent of the usually employed had changed their work status while about 7 per cent of urban men and 9 per cent of rural women had changed their establishments.

An interesting finding was that about 11 per cent of households in both the rural and urban areas were headed by women.

Sociologists point to a pull and push factor in migration.

In the Indian case, a hefty growth rate of more than 7 per cent of the GDP is indicative of the pull of cities.

The fact that growth has not been inclusive is a pointer that development has bypassed much of the hinterland.

Sociologists say that it does not mean that all who seek unemployment manage to get jobs in the cities. It has, however, put considerable stress on civic amenities and sometimes led to the growth of slums.

But the city lights hold a sway on the rural populace dragging them to seek jobs in places which sometimes lead to a saturation level.

UNI