India has seen an upsurge in economic growth since 1990 which was also the time around which internal migration became a more active phenomenon. The 2001 census shows that internal migration has picked up rapidly during the 1990s. Compared to intra-state movement, inter-state migration has grown faster. The states with higher per capita income and larger dominance of non-agricultural sector show not only high in-migration but also high out-migration rates. Poverty ratio is not found related with out-migration rates at the state level. On the contrary, migration rates are higher in households with higher monthly per capita expenditure. Also, the socially disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes do not show higher mobility compared to other population categories. Thus the increased mobility of India’s population in recent times is more confined to better off sections.
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