St.
XAVIER’S MODEL UNITED
NATIONS 2020
AIPPM
(ALL INDIA POLITICAL PARTIES
MEET)
BACKGROUND GUIDE
AGENDA: THE RURAL URBAN
DEVELOPMENT INDEX DIVIDE
LEADING TO MIGRATION.
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Dear Prospective Members,
At the outset on behalf of the Executive Board, we extend a warm welcome to all of you and
congratulate you on being part of St. XAVIER’S MUN 2020.
Kindly note, we are not looking for existing solutions, or statements that would be a copy paste
of what the leader you are representing have already stated; instead we seek an out of the box
solution from you, while knowing and understanding your impending political and ideological
limitations.
This Introductory guide would be as abstract as possible, and would just give you a basic
perspective on what you can expect from the committee and areas wherein which your research
should be focused at this given point in time. Given, the extremely political and volatile nature
of this committee, your presence of mind and politico-analytical aptitude is something which
we at the executive board would be looking to test.
That being said, kindly do not limit your research to the areas highlighted further but ensure
that you logically deduce and push your research to areas associated with the issues mentioned.
Kindly note, that unlike most conventional/unconventional committees you have
attended, this committee shall have “substantive” intervention by the Executive Board.
The objective of this background guide is to provide you with a ‘background’ of the issue at
hand and therefore it might seem to some as not being comprehensive enough. If you feel that
the Guide does not cover all the issues and it could have been compiled in a better way by
giving more information or links or better arguments ‘for’ and ‘against’, we think that would
be the appropriate time to pat our backs for we successfully managed to compile a ‘Background
Guide’ and not a ‘Study Guide’.
Wishing you all a very warm good luck and hoping to see you all at this conference discussing
imperative issues of national trust.
Warm Regards!
MODERATOR – SIDHARTH KAPOOR Sidk4212@[Link]
DEPUTY MODERATOR- RAGHAVENDRA SHEKHAWAT rgssh01@[Link]
PROOFS/EVIDENCE IN COMMITTEE
1. Government Reports (Each ministry publishes its own reports including External Affairs
Ministry)
2. Government Websites
3. Government run News channels i.e. RSTV, LSTV, DD News
4. Standing Committee Reports
5. RTI Proofs
NOTE: Under no circumstances will sources like Wikipedia ([Link]
Amnesty International ([Link] or newspapers like Times of India
([Link] etc. be accepted as PROOF/EVIDENCE. But they can
be used for better understanding of any issue or even be brought up in debate if the information
given in such sources is in line with the beliefs of a Government.
All India Political Parties Meet (AIPPM)
The All Indian Political Parties Meet is a non-technical yet powerful committee introduced in
order to emulate political realities by bringing to light various layers of polity and governance
in India. It is quintessential that members be thoroughly researched about all the current
political happenings around the country and the members are also required to be aware of their
character’s political affiliations, interests, ideology etc.
Generally, AIPPM is called by Prime Minister or Speaker of the house, so that all parties come
to a single alignment regarding the circumstances and problems which needs our special
attention.
Note: Please note that nothing mentioned in this background may be used as an established
fact in committee without the presentation of a credible source and substance mentioned
henceforth may act only as a source for your basic understanding of the agenda.
Reiterating, kindly do not limit your research only to these points and feel free to broaden
your horizons of the research. This is just a list of topics you should cover and is a reflection
of the direction in which we intend to see the flow of debate in the committee.
For any further queries kindly feel free to mail the moderator directly at the email ID given
above.
AGENDA: THE RURAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT
INDEX DIVIDE LEADING TO MIGRATION.
"The Future of India lies in its villages"
-Mahatma Gandhi
INTRODUCTION
RURAL URBAN DIVIDE IN INDIA
• In simple words, the glaring disparities in income distribution,
consumption, and quality of life between rural and urban India is known as
rural-urban divide. There is a lack of livelihood opportunities, modern
amenities and services, necessary for decent living in rural areas.
• India is a land of villages. According to the latest Census (2011), India has
more than 6 lakh villages while there are around 7000 towns and urban
centres. Out of a total population of 121 crores, the rural population
accounts for 69% and urban population 31%.
• On the contrary, economic policies have primarily focussed on urban areas.
It relied on the philosophy that benefits of India s high growth and
expansion of industrial urban centres would automatically percolate down
to the rural areas. This has led to the unequal growth of rural areas and has
resulted in a sense of deprivation and dissatisfaction amongst a large
percentage of rural population. Hence a majority of rural society remains
excluded from India s journey of development.
CAUSES OF RURAL URBAN DIVIDE
1 Dependence of Rural population on Agriculture
About 70% of the population lives in rural areas and about 50% of the overall
labour force is still dependent on agriculture that is not productive enough. The
GDP contribution of agriculture to the nation is less. The devastating effects of
natural calamities such as droughts and floods further lead to lower incomes for
people living in rural areas.
2 Lack of Rural Livelihood & Employment opportunities
The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) for rural India reveals that in
75% households, the monthly income of the highest earning member is less than
Rs. 5,000. And more than 80% rural people are without a salaried job.
3 Differential Impact of India s Growth and Development
The impact of economic revival steps taken by the government has benefitted
only a very few. For example- in Haryana, only two urban centres- Gurgaon and
Faridabad contributing majority of state revenue have been modernised while
adjoining rural areas remain neglected.
Also, India s growth in the last decade has been mainly driven by software,
financial and consultancy services sector which employ bright, English speaking
urban youth. But the majority of rural Indian youth are unfit for these up-end jobs
because of lack of professional training.
4 Urban Bias in Social Sectors such as Health and Education
India spends around 1.3% of its GDP on public healthcare and has an insufficient
public healthcare infrastructure. A majority of health infrastructure is in the
private sector, which is limited to the middle classes in urban India. Rural areas
are catered by government-run dispensaries which lack infrastructure and
medicines. The doctors too are not willing to serve in rural areas. Meanwhile,
patients have to travel far to elite public hospitals like Delhi s AIIMS. As a result,
rural India is behind urban India in health indicators such as Infant Mortality Rate,
Maternal Mortality Rate, Fertility Rate, Life expectancy and so on.
Similarly, rural areas lack quality educational institutions which are mainly
concentrated in urban areas which are out of reach of poor rural people.
5 Poor Rural Infrastructure
Development of rural areas is slow due to the improper and inadequate provision
of infrastructure when compared to urban areas. The primary hindrance to growth
in rural productivity and prosperity is the lack of basic infrastructures such as
connectivity through roads, electricity, housing, clean water and sanitation. Small
business enterprises can only flourish in rural areas if they have access to good
quality and reliable infrastructure.
6 Emphasis on Smart Cities and neglect of Rural areas
Even after more than 70 years of Independence, the focus of policy-makers has
been on few selected cities to be transformed as Smart Cities. The programme
excludes rural areas and it will further worsen the rural-urban divide. While the
persons living in these smart cities will enjoy digital governance, satellite traffic
updates; many people living in rural areas still defecate in open.
7 Dominance of Social Institutions in Rural areas
In closed rural societies, social institutions such as caste system, joint family
system and various social customs play a major role in the day to day life of an
individual. For example-the rigid caste system does not allow a low caste person
to give up his traditional work. While in urban areas, the emphasis is on
individual’s merit and qualification. Similarly, rural areas have joint family
traditions which regulate a person’s economic activity whereas, in urban areas,
there is mainly nuclear family tradition leading to economic freedom.
8 Improper Implementation of Rural Development schemes, Leakages and
Corruption
Although there is no dearth of schemes for rural development, the benefits of
these schemes are not able to reach the target population mainly due to corruption
in the disbursal of funds, non-transparency in financial transactions, wrong
identification of the beneficiaries, lack of involvement of Gram Panchayats in
planning and implementation and lack of political and administrative
accountability.
HUMAN MIGRATION
▪ Human migration is the movement of people from one place in the world
to another. People can either choose to move (voluntary migration) or be
forced to move (involuntary migration).
▪ The International Organization for Migration (The United
Nations Migration Agency) defines a migrant as any person who is moving
or has moved across an international border or within a state away from
his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of :
o Person’s legal status
o Whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary
o What the causes for the movement are
o What the length of the stay is
Factors
Migration is a global phenomenon caused not only by economic factors but many
other factors like social, political, cultural, environmental, health, education are
included under the broader classification of Push and Pull factors of migration:
▪ Push Factor: Push factors are those that compel a person, due to different
reasons, to leave a place of origin (out-migration) and migrate to some
other place.
▪ Pull Factor: Pull factors indicate the factors which attract migrant (in-
migration) to an area (destination).
Types
People move for many reasons, based on which types of human migration
include internal migration (moving within a state, country, or continent)
and external migration (moving to a different state, country, or continent).
External Migration
o External migration in India can broadly be classified as:
• Emigration from India to various parts of the world.
• Immigration of people from different countries to India.
• Refugee Migration: There had also been a significant trend
of an involuntary or forced immigration to India in the form
of refugees.
Internal Migration: Internal migration in India is primarily of two types:
• Long term Migration, resulting in the relocation of an individual
or household.
• Short term Migration, involving back and forth movement
between a source and destination.
o Key Source States: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh.
o Key Destination States: Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab
and Karnataka.
Factors for internal migration: Migrants who move within the boundaries of
their own country are known as internal migrants. There are four streams of
Internal migration.
• Rural to urban (R-U)
• Rural to Rural (R-R)
• Urban to Rural (U-R)
• Urban to Urban (U-U)
CAUSES OF INTERNAL MIGRATION
Urbanization: An increase in the demand for labour in urban areas and better
wages increase migration. The pull factors of better job facilities, good salary,
more income, medical and educational facilities are attracting the rural people to
move to the cities. The push factors of no job facilities, low salary, less income,
drought, less medical and education compel people towards cities.
Marriage: Marriage is an important social factor for migration, from one rural
area to another rural or urban area, especially in case of females.
Employment: Search for better employment in industries, trade, transport and
services results in R-U and U-U migration.
Education: Due to lack of educational facilities in rural areas, people migrate to
the urban areas for better academic opportunities. In the 2011 census, about
1.77% people migrated for education.
Lack of security: Political disturbances and inter-ethnic conflicts is also a reason
for internal migration.
Environmental and disaster induced factors force people to move from rural
to urban areas due to gradual deterioration of changing environmental conditions.
There can also be forced displacement due to reasons such as developmental
projects.
CHALLENGES FACED BY INTERNAL MIGRANTS
Documentation and Identity: Proving their identity is one of the core issues
impoverished migrants face when they arrive in a new place. Identity
documentation that is authenticated by the state ensures that a person has a secure
citizenship status and can benefit from the rights and protections that the state
provides.
The basic problem of establishing identity results in a loss of access to
entitlements and social services. The issue of lack of access to education for
children of migrants further aggravates the intergenerational transmission of
poverty.
Housing: Labour demand in cities and the resulting rural-to-urban migration
creates greater pressures to accommodate more people. Unaffordable rents in
slums force migrants to live at their workplaces (such as construction sites), shop
pavements or in open areas in the city. This further perpetuates their vulnerability
to harassment by the police and other local authorities.
Limited Access to Formal Financial Services: Since migrants do not possess
permissible proofs of identity and residence, they fail to satisfy the Know Your
Customer (KYC) norms as stipulated by the Indian banking regulations. They are
thus unable to open bank accounts in cities which has implications on the savings
and remittance behaviours of migrant workers.
Political Exclusion: In a state of continuous drift, migrant workers are deprived
of many opportunities to exercise their political rights. As migrants are not
entitled to vote outside of their place of origin, some are simply unable to cast
their votes.
Rampant Exploitation: Migration flows are mediated by an elaborate chain of
contractors and middlemen who perform the critical function of sourcing and
recruiting workers. These networks largely operate in the informal economy.
Migrants, completely dependent on the middlemen for information, end up
working in low-end, low-value, hard, and risky manual labour and are constantly
subject to exploitation with little or no opportunity for legal recourse.
As migrants are dispersed throughout a vast urban or rural canvas, it inhibits their
potential to organize themselves in formal or informal ways. This further weakens
their bargaining power in terms of wages, benefits, and working conditions.
COVID 19 AND MIGRATION
• The lockdown has resulted in huge reverse migration. The migrants,
estimated 453.6 million, are the worst sufferers of the lockdown. With
daily wages have dried up, most of them can barely afford to pay house-
rent or even food and are thus left with nothing but to move to their native
areas as they can at least fulfill their basic needs there.
• Most of these people are construction workers, street vendors, security
guards, domestic helps, etc. The norms of social distancing mandates these
works to be stopped. Hence, they are left with no income source. The
exodus is mainly from Delhi and National Capital region, Industrial states
such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc. The exodus is
directed mostly towards Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and
Odisha.
• The measures to tackle the pandemic are very difficult to maintain in
settlements of these migrant workers as they are highly crowded and
unhygienic. The suddenness of the pandemic, too, was one of the reasons
of this emergency exit. The poor migrants did not get any time to prepare
for the lockdown period and without any clarity in the initial days of how
the government will help the migrants, they chose to migrate. Many people
who were returning to the villages out of frustration said that they would
die if not from virus then from hunger.
• Apart from laborers, students located in educational hubs such as Kota,
Pune, Delhi were left stranded due to suspension of travel means. As
lockdown came into force, all the means of communication too were
suspended. This forced the migrant population to chose to trace the long
roads, mostly in the range of 1000-1500kms, by walking.
• Apart from this internal migration, there are many citizens stranded in
foreign countries. They went there for employment, education, tourism,
and other reasons. They are also facing difficulties as they are in foreign
land and some of them don’t have money left to spend and also don’t
qualify for government help there.
NOTE:
• In this Background guide, we have tried to explain you the entire
phenomenon. We started with the basic problem of Rural Urban Divide
and then went on to explain its implications, the major being Human
Migration.
• We then explained you the entire phenomenon of Human Migration, the
causes and the challenges being faced. At last we have also laid special
emphasis on the plights of Migrants during the COVID 19.
• However, we have not given any solution to this complex phenomenon
because if we do so we would be limiting your creativity. So, now as
Politicians and Public Servants the onus lies on your shoulders to find
solutions to this complex phenomenon. Hoping to see you come up with
Creative and Feasible Solutions.
JAI HIND!
