The Position of Urbanization in India

India is largely a rural country, with about 72 per cent of

its population living in rural villages. The growth of urban
population as well as the pace of urbanization has been
generally slow in India compared to the other Asian
countries.
The urban population rose from 17.3 per cent in 1951 to a
mere 28 per cent in 2001 (provisional). An analysis of the
growth rate of urban population in India in 1981-91
indicates that 58 per cent of this growth was due to
natural increase (births minus deaths) and 42 per cent due
to rural-urban migration. It may be understood that
though urban population in India may be only 28 per cent,
this seemingly low percentage is a large population,
number- wise. Therefore, the quality of life in urban areas
means the lives of a large number of people. Therefore,
this population group requires urgent consideration.
The classification of an area as an urban unit in the
Census of India 2001 is based on the following
definitions:
i. All places are declared by the state government
under a statute us a municipality
ii. All other places that simultaneously satisfy or are
expected to satisfy the following criteria:
a. A minimum population of 5,000.
b. At least 75 per cent of the male working population
engaged in non-agricultural economic pursuits
c. A density of population of at least 400 per square
kilometre (1000 per square mile).
Cities are in the fore front of socioeconomic development
in India at the present time. They are the focal point of a
governments revenue earning nowadays. More than half
of the gross national product comes from the urban areas,
especially the metropolitan cities, where service industries
including the BPO companies are making huge profits.
Urbanization is also inducing and promoting
modernization of agriculture, which is affecting the life of
each and every Indian.
According to Lerner, cities are considered as places that
produce machine tools of modernization. But today, it is
clear that uncontrolled urban growth may prevent steady
progress. ‘Cities are no longer seen as the centres of
change and progress but the centres of crisis’ (Evers).
Great cities have always had the power to intensify the
triumphs and tragedies of human existence. Thus, the
world’s demographic, environmental and social problems
are most evident in urban places, especially in the cities
belonging to poor countries. The cities have grown so
rapidly that the problems outweigh the benefits of
industrialization and modernization. The most common
urban problem is the increasing population, which is the
cause for housing problems, environmental pollution and
urban conflict.