GD and Essay Topic: Rural vs Urban India

According to the Census of India 2011, the term “urban agglomeration” is defined as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its “outgrowths”.

By Vishwesh Ravishankar

This article was first published on October 12, 2020

India is broadly divided into two categories, namely rural and urban areas. This categorisation is based on the standard of living and the per capita income of the people. Unfortunately, there is a huge gap between the rural and urban areas, in terms of infrastructure, facilities, development, standard of living, etc. which is often a topic of discussion in academics and political circuit. This rural-urban divide is also a topic of discussion in business, economy and industry. Thus, you will encounter rural vs urban as a GD topic during MBA admissions to knwo what the future managers and entreprenuers think about it. Let's discuss this GD topic. 

What is Rural Area?

According to the Planning Commission, “a town with a maximum population of 15,000 is considered rural in nature. In such villages the governing body is the “Panchayat” that looks after the infrastructure well-being of all the villagers.”

Rural areas are also known as the ‘countryside’ or a ‘village’ in India. The basic source of revenue and income for a household is majorly agriculture. These areas contribute to a large share  of India’s GDP by means of agriculture.

The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) defines “rural” as follows:

• An area with a population density of up to 400 per square kilometer.
• Villages with a clear surveyed boundaries but no municipal board.
• A minimum of 75 per cent of male working population are involved in agriculture and allied activities.

What is Urban Area?

Urban areas are a type of human settlement with high population density built with the need of the hour infrastructure.

According to the Census of India 2011, the term “urban agglomeration” is defined as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its “outgrowths”.

The Census of India 2011, defines urban areas as follows:

• All the places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee,
• All other places which satisfies the following criteria:

1. A minimum population of 5,000
2. At least 75 per cent of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural activities
3. A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq.km.

The differences between Rural and Urban is listed as follows:

Population

• As of 2018, more than 65 per cent of India’s population lives in rural areas. From 2008 to 2018 there has been a consistent decline in the percentage of the population, the majority of which is caused due to migration.
• Whereas, more than 34 per cent of India’s population lives in Urban Areas. Although the total population in urban areas is less as compared to the rural areas, the population density is way higher than the rural areas.

Industrial areas

• There is a drastic difference between the pollution levels between rural and urban areas.
• Pollution level in rural areas is very low as compared to the urban areas, due to lesser vehicles, lower population density and lesser industries.
• Since there are more industries in the urban areas, it leads to releasing of more pollutants in the atmosphere as well as the water bodies.

This is also a reason why the Air Quality Index (AQI) is increasing higher and higher, and consistently high levels of AQI indicate an increase in respiratory diseases.

Infrastructure

• Infrastructure development is on the lower side as compared to urban areas, which leads to lower employment opportunities which is also a major reason why people residing in rural areas opt to migrate to the cities in search for jobs.
• Urban areas have more development in terms of access to infrastructure and connectivity like hospitals, airports, railways, roads etc.

Source of Income

• Employment in the rural areas are limited to agricultural activities.
• Jobs in the urban areas revolve around manufacturing industry, service industry along with trade and commerce.

Discrimination

• In rural areas, there is a lot of discrimination based on socio-economic status, gender, religion, caste etc. Nowadays, many workshops and social awareness drives are being conducted to educate people about their rights, and the right way to raise their voice against discrimination.
• In urban areas, the problems to social barriers is minimal and no discrimination is done on the basis of gender, religion, caste etc. This gives equal access to everyone for education, job opportunities etc.

Standard of Living

• The standard of living is higher in the urban areas as the Per Capita Income (PCI) is higher than the rural areas.
• With access to better infrastructure and medical facilities, the cost of living also increases exponentially as compared to the rural areas.

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