Decline in rate of migration from Uttarakhand over the last 5 years: Report

The rate of migration from Uttarakhand villages to places outside the state has recorded a significant decline over the last five years, the Rural Development and Migration Prevention Commission has said in its latest report.

In the 10-year period from 2008 to 2018, 1,18,981 people migrated "permanently" from Uttarakhand villages while the number was 28,531 between January 2018 and September 2022, the report, submitted to the state government, said.

Permanent migration is when people move from one place to another with no plans to return.

Vice Chairman of the Commission, SS Negi, who submitted the second interim report of the commission to its Chairman Pushkar Singh Dhami recently, attributed the decline to increasing inclination among locals towards availing self-employment avenues available at home rather than going outside the state to earn a living.

"Traditional agriculture scenario is almost as bleak as five years ago but people are preferring to make a living out of opportunities available in the fisheries, poultry and dairy farming sectors rather than leaving their homes," Negi told PTI.

Schemes like Mukhya Mantri Swarojgar Yojana have also encouraged them to make the best of self-employment opportunities at home, he said.

Almora, Tehri and Pauri are the districts from where the largest number of people migrated during the period.

A total of 5,926 people from Almora, 5,653 from Tehri and 5,474 from Pauri migrated in search of greener pastures during the five-year period, the report said.

They were followed by Nainital (2,014), Chamoli (1,722), Pithoragarh (1,713), Champawat (1,588), Bageshwar (1,403), Haridwar (1,029), Uttarkashi (900), Rudraprayag (715), Dehradun (312) and Udham Singh Nagar (82), it said.

As many as 24 villages have become completely uninhabited in the last five years, taking the number of ghost villages in the state to 1,792, it said.

"There were 1,034 uninhabited villages in the state as per the 2011 census. By 2018, 734 more villages were added to the list and 24 more by 2022. The number of villages devoid of the human population now stands at 1,792," the commission vice chairman said.

Meanwhile, temporary migration, which means people moving out of their villages in search of livelihood but returning periodically, continues, the report said.

A total of 3,83,726 people migrated temporarily from 6,338 village panchayats of Uttarakhand between 2008 and 2018. In the five-year period till September 2022, the number was 3,07,310.

If temporary migration continues at this rate, it may cross the 6-lakh mark over the next five years, which will be twice the number of people that migrated between 2008 and 2018.

However, Negi said as temporary migration is happening within the state, it was not a cause for concern.

"Temporary migration is usually confined within the limits of a district or it is inter-district at the most. People are moving from a village to a town or from a smaller to a bigger town within the state and not outside the state," he said.

It means some people choose to work outside their villages but stay in touch with their family members who sustain themselves by opening dhabas or gyms, he added.