K.S.James: Internal Migration In Andhra Pradesh: A Quantitative Analysis. April, 2000.

Andhra Pradesh is characterized by considerable regional variations in development. An analysis of inter-district migration could provide useful insights into the dynamics of development of each region within a state. This study is primarily an attempt in that direction. The specific objectives of the study are: (1) to assess the utility of 'place of birth' data on inter-district migration available from decennial census, (2) to analyse the trends and pattern of migration in the state since 1961 and (3) to estimate inter-district net migration for the intercensal period 1981-91.

The study reveals similarity between the estimates of migration derived from three sources, viz., 'place of birth' and 'place of last residence' from census data and usual place of residence based on NSSO indicating reliability of 'place of birth' data to analyse inter-district migration. The state has been experiencing continuous decline in migration rate since the seventies. Interestingly, data on life-time migration reveal movement from prosperous regions to poor regions. But this direction of movement has halted during the eighties. During this decade major in-migration has taken place only in two big cities of the state, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Hence, the earlier migration is mainly due to the mobility of the peasants (which was induced largely by population pressure in the developed region to backward region) to exploit the available land. This process is replaced by movement to two major cities in the state to reap the benefits of hike in real estate (Working paper No. 38).