11.6.13

Urban Population growth in Maharashtra


Maharashtra’s urban population growth is slowing down. The latest Census 2011 figures show that in the 2001-2011 decade, the state urban population grew at 23.67% as against 34.57% in the 1991-2001 decade.
Census officials attribute the declining growth rate to lower fertility and reduced internal migration. If increased realty rates served as a deterrent for people from migrating to bigger cities like Mumbai, it was also an incentive to stay back as land/realty rates in their native places too went up. Also the rise of tier-II cities has meant that migration to megacities has reduced.
Mumbai’s island city has shown a negative growth of -7.6% while in the suburbs, the growth has been 8.3%, far lower than Thane (44%), Pune (37%) and Aurangabad (49%).
Maharashtra, one of the most urbanized states in the country, was in the significant third and fourth stages of demographic transition, where mortality as well as birth rates are declining, said Dr P Arokiasamy, spokesperson for the Institute for Population Sciences, an autonomous institute under the Union ministry of health and family welfare. “Urban areas always lead in demographic transition. The fertility rate in most urban areas has reached 2.1 or replacement rate and in some it is already below replacement rate,” said Arokiasamy.
The declining growth rate of population has its positive side, said demographers. “It will ease the burden on existing infrastructure,” said Arokiasamy, adding that with infrastructure growth matching or even outpacing population, citizens could look forward to an improved quality of life.
The overall population growth of the state in absolute numbers has declined from 1.79 crore to 1.55 crore, which is 7% less than in 1991-2001. The state’s urban footprint has, in fact, expanded from 42% to 45% and in absolute numbers the urban population has grown by 97 lakh. 

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