Village to Town and the Census Definition
When a new factory comes near your village shops, banks, schools and roads grow and outsiders come to live. Slowly the village changes and becomes town-like.
The process in which population and non-farm work grow and a settlement turns into a town is urbanisation.
Key idea 1 : How a village changes — As population grows, need for houses, roads, water, electricity, drains and street lights grows. Planning, parks and recreation places also have to be made. In this way a village grows into a town.
Key idea 2 : Criteria of an urban settlement — The 1961 census fixed three conditions for an ‘urban’ settlement: (1) more than 75% of male workers in non-farm work, (2) population above 5,000, (3) population density above 400 per sq km.
Key idea 3 : All three conditions together — A village may have 6,000 people but if most men farm it is not urban. So all three conditions must be met to be urban.
- Easy : Population 4,000 and 80% non-farm males; urban? — No (population low).
- Medium : Population 7,500, non-farm 82%, density 520; urban? — Yes.
- Exam-type : Population 8,000, non-farm 60%, density 500; urban? — No (below 75%).
In the figure: Steps of a village becoming a town.
75-5000-400: male non-farm %, population, density.
Large population alone does not make a settlement urban; all three conditions are checked.
Memory clue: Three conditions: 75%, 5000, 400. Memory clue: "seventy-five, five thousand, four hundred".
Spot the difference
| Condition | Limit | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Non-farm male workers | More than 75% | Work outside farming |
| Population | More than 5,000 | Size of settlement |
| Density | More than 400 per sq km | Crowded settlement |
Practice questions
- 1What is urbanisation?
- 2Tell how a village becomes a town.
- 3State the three criteria of an urban settlement in the 1961 census.
- 4Why is a settlement not urban just because of high population?
- 5Population 9,000, density 350, non-farm 80%; is the settlement urban?
- 6Which facilities are needed more with urbanisation?
- 7Give an example of a village in your area becoming a town.
- 8Write three differences between urban and rural settlements.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Process of a village turning into a town.
- 2By growth of population, facilities and non-farm work.
- 375% male non-farm; population 5,000+; density 400+.
- 4Because all three conditions are needed together.
- 5No; density is below 400.
- 6Roads, water, electricity, drains, schools, clinics.
- 7The student writes a local example and its reason.
- 8Work other than farming, higher density, more facilities.
Causes of Urbanisation: Industry, Trade, Technology
Where a big factory starts, workers, shopkeepers, transporters and tea sellers all come. So industry and trade pull people in.
Growth of industry, trade and technology increases non-farm jobs and people start settling there; this speeds up urbanisation.
Key idea 1 : Industrialisation — When industries gather in one area, people from nearby places are drawn by jobs. As per the textbook, textile mills started on a large scale in Mumbai in the 19th century and the city grew fast. Many original koliwadas (fishing hamlets) became part of the growing Mumbai metropolis.
Key idea 2 : Trade — Where transport, loading-unloading and storage are convenient, trade grows. Business complexes, banks, credit societies, godowns, cold storages and houses come up. The textbook gives Nagpur as an example.
Key idea 3 : Technology and mechanisation — When machines are used in farming fewer people are needed. The rest turn towards towns for non-farm work such as factories, shops and services. New technology also creates new jobs in towns.
- Easy : City that grew due to textile mills? — Mumbai (as per textbook).
- Medium : Growth of godowns and cold storages indicates? — Trade.
- Exam-type : What happens to workers when machines come to farms? — Some turn to towns.
In the figure: Industry, trade and technology.
I-T-T: Industry, Trade, Technology.
Industries make a city, but not by industries alone; trade, transport and migration also matter.
Memory clue: Industry, trade, tech. Memory clue: "Industry-Trade-Tech = the city’s mantra".
Spot the difference
| Cause | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Industry | Workers come | Mumbai mills |
| Trade | Banks and godowns grow | Nagpur |
| Technology | Fewer farm workers needed | Machines |
Practice questions
- 1How does industrialisation increase urbanisation?
- 2How did koliwadas become part of Mumbai metropolis?
- 3How does trade help a city grow?
- 4State the importance of technology and mechanisation.
- 5Name five services related to trade.
- 6Why does migration rise when machines come to farming?
- 7Write an industry in your area responsible for urbanisation.
- 8Compare industry and trade.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Jobs increase and people are attracted.
- 2They were included as Mumbai expanded.
- 3Transport, storage and services grow.
- 4Machines need fewer people and create new jobs.
- 5Bank, credit society, godown, cold storage, business complex.
- 6Because need for work in villages falls.
- 7The student writes a local industry.
- 8Industry makes goods; trade buys and sells.
Causes of Urbanisation: Transport and Migration
When a bus or train starts, village people can go to the city daily for work and some settle there. Roads and railways connect and grow settlements.
Transport facilities like roads and railways and permanent migration speed up the urbanisation of settlements.
Key idea 1 : Transport and communication — Where roads and railways develop, small rural settlements urbanise quickly. As per the textbook, villages like Savarde in Ratnagiri district began urbanising after the Konkan Railway. Bhusawal in Jalgaon district grew fast as important rail routes meet there.
Key idea 2 : Migration — Migration means leaving the original place and going to live elsewhere. People come to cities in hope of jobs, education, better health care and comforts. Migration can be short-term or permanent.
Key idea 3 : Pull and push factors — Jobs and facilities in towns pull people, while lack of work or drought in villages pushes people out. Together they increase migration.
- Easy : Village that grew thanks to the Konkan Railway? — Savarde (as per textbook).
- Medium : City grown where many rail routes meet? — Bhusawal (as per textbook).
- Exam-type : Leaving a village due to drought? — Push factor.
In the figure: Urbanisation through transport.
Pull = town; push = village.
Migration is not always permanent; it can be temporary too.
Memory clue: Pull and push. Memory clue: "Town pulls, village pushes".
Spot the difference
| Factor | From where | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pull | Town | Jobs, education |
| Push | Village | Drought, lack of work |
| Transport | Roads, rail | Bhusawal |
Practice questions
- 1What is the effect of transport facilities on urbanisation?
- 2What effect did the Konkan Railway have on villages?
- 3Why did Bhusawal grow fast?
- 4What is migration?
- 5Explain pull and push factors.
- 6How can migration be temporary and permanent?
- 7Find which village in your area grew due to a road in the last five years.
- 8What benefits does migration bring to a city?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Connectivity increases and settlements urbanise quickly.
- 2Villages like Savarde started urbanising.
- 3Important rail routes meet there.
- 4Leaving one’s place to live elsewhere.
- 5Pull = town facilities; push = village lack.
- 6Some go seasonally; some stay permanently.
- 7The student enquires and writes a local example.
- 8Workers, new skills and ideas come.
Effects of Urbanisation
In the morning in a city you see bus crowds, traffic jams and smoke; but the same city has good schools, clinics and jobs. So urbanisation has both advantages and drawbacks.
Urbanisation increases facilities, jobs and social exchange, but also creates slums, traffic jams, pollution and law-and-order problems.
Key idea 1 : Advantages — (1) Social harmony: people from different areas live together and exchange customs. (2) Modernisation: new knowledge, skills and technology reach early. (3) Amenities: transport, communication, education, health and fire services. The textbook says many students come to Pune for higher education.
Key idea 2 : Problems: slums and jams — City population grows fast but houses do not grow in that proportion. Economically weak migrants build temporary homes in open spaces; such slums lack basic facilities. As suburban commuters to the centre increase and public transport falls short, private vehicles rise and traffic jams occur.
Key idea 3 : Problems: pollution, crime and others — Air, noise and water pollution rise and piles of waste cause bad smell and disease. When jobs are not found some people may turn to illegal ways, which strains law and order; but remember most migrants do honest work. Rising land prices and tension between groups are other problems.
- Easy : More suburban commuters and too few buses; result? — Traffic jams.
- Medium : Temporary houses on open land; result? — Slum.
- Exam-type : What happens when waste piles up? — Bad smell and disease.
In the figure: Advantages and problems of urbanisation.
By the census, the share of urban population in India was about 27.81% in 2001 and 31.16% in 2011. (Census; the textbook table gives 37.07 for 2011, which does not match the census — check with the book)
Gains: harmony-amenities-modernity; Losses: slums-jams-pollution.
Not all migrants are criminals; the problem comes from lack of jobs and facilities.
Memory clue: Three gains and four problems. Memory clue: "Harmony-Amenities-Modern; Slum-Jam-Smoke-Crime".
Spot the difference
| Point | Advantage | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | More options | Slums |
| Travel | Better transport | Traffic jams |
| Environment | Development | Pollution |
Practice questions
- 1State three advantages of urbanisation.
- 2Why do slums arise?
- 3State causes and remedies of traffic jams.
- 4Write the kinds of pollution in cities.
- 5How does urbanisation increase social harmony?
- 6Why does the law-and-order problem rise and how to reduce it?
- 7Suggest five measures to reduce slums.
- 8Describe a planned city of your imagination (5 lines).
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Social harmony, modernisation, amenities.
- 2Population rises fast and houses fall short.
- 3Cause: insufficient public transport; remedy: more buses and trains.
- 4Air, noise, water.
- 5People from different areas live together and exchange customs.
- 6Lack of jobs; remedy: more jobs and education.
- 7Affordable housing, water, sanitation, jobs, planning.
- 8The student writes planning of amenities, greenery, transport, housing.