Channels of Internal Migration in India: A Historical Perspective

Nalin Singh Negi, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Sujata Ganguly, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

India has a long history of migration and though internal migration was less in earlier periods, it is noteworthy to study the pattern and direction of internal migration in India. Due to dearth of literature, the study is limited to 1891 to 1931. The source for this study is available census reports from which insights could be drawn about the process of internal migration in India. We found that Bengal, Assam and Bombay were the main centres of immigration and United Provinces - Mysore, Bihar and Orissa - had been centres of emigration. Though the pattern of internal migration remained quite similar between 1891 and 1921, in 1931 some new centres of immigration appeared, e.g. Delhi, Bikaner etc. Apart from this, a gradual change has started taking place in the pattern of internal migration in India.