Growth of rural population in Punjab 1971-81.

Except for the decade 1941-1951 in which Punjabs population declined because of a huge exchange of population between India and Pakistan and a large loss of life the decade 1971-1981 was the 1st decade since 1911 to experience a deceleration in the growth rate of the rural population of Punjab India. The deceleration was due to out-migration to urban areas. The scheduled caste population increased 28.37% between 1971 and 1981 while the nonscheduled caste population increased by only 13.32% which was considerably below the rate of natural increase. Nonscheduled castes had experienced substantial out-migration because of 1) improved transport and communication facilities which enabled them to move to urban centers; 2) mechanization of main farming operations and easy availability of migrant laborers which lessened the need for family labor; 3) the rise of a relatively mobile younger generation with a high literacy rate; 4) rapidly decreasing land holdings which strengthened the push factor in the countryside; and 5) rising aspirations especially among the younger generation. In 1981 Sikhs constituted 71.3% of the rural population in Punjab followed by Hindus (26.51%) Christians (1.25%) and Muslims (.89%). From 1971-1981 Muslims experienced the greatest increase (49.29%). Sikhs grew by 20.74% and Hindus by 9.02%. The Sikhs high growth rate was due to 1) a new technique for counting religious affiliation in which all members of a household are considered the same religion as the head of household and 2) conversion of Hindus to Sikhism. Hindus had a low growth rate because 1) the new method of counting religious affiliation and 2) rural-urban migration. The area with the lowest population increase resulted from industrialists and other nonagriculturists buying farmland causing the agriculturists to move away to less desirable land. Conclusions are 1) the sharp rural-urban division along religious lines should be lessened 2) Sikhs lag in urbanization and upward mobility should be decreased and 3) nonagriculturalists should be prevented from buying farm land from peasants along main roads and around urban centers.