Census definition of urban area

Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Human Settlements"

Meaning

A Census definition of urban area is the rule the Census of India uses to call a place "urban": the place must be either a statutory town (a place with an urban local body set up by law) or a census town (a place without one that passes three tests on population, jobs and density). It only has to be one of the two.

• This line between "village" and "town" decides India's level of urbanisation (the share of people living in urban areas). It also decides which places go into the Town Directory (the Census list of all towns).
• It also affects which places get urban funds. For example, statutory towns carry 50% weightage when AMRUT funds are shared among States/UTs [3].

Explanation

Two ways to be urban: statutory town or census town

• Statutory town (urban by law):
• It is any place notified under law that has an urban local body (a municipal corporation, municipality, municipal committee or similar body) [2].
• The body can be a municipal corporation, municipality, cantonment board or notified town area committee.

• There is no test of size, jobs or density. A small cantonment is urban by law alone.

• Census town (urban by numbers):

• It has no urban local body. A gram panchayat (village council) runs it.
• It must pass all three tests together [2][3]:
  1. a population of at least 5,000;
  2. at least 75% of male main workers in non-agricultural work;
  3. a density of at least 400 persons per sq km.

• A main worker is a person who worked for 6 months or more in the reference year. Only men are counted in this test.

• Key logic:

• "Or" joins the two kinds of town.
• "And" joins the three tests, but only inside the census-town rule.

Why NCERT's wording misleads

• NCERT quotes the Census 1991 definition. It joins statutory and census towns in one sentence with "and".
• This suggests that a statutory town also needs 5,000 people. That is wrong. The Census (2001 and 2011) uses "or".
• NCERT Exercise 1(ii) also uses "75% in the primary sector" as a wrong option. The primary sector means farming, fishing, forestry and mining. The real test is 75% of male main workers in non-farm work.

Urban agglomeration and outgrowth: the bigger units

• Urban agglomeration (UA) is one continuous urban spread [2]. It takes one of two forms:
• a town plus its outgrowths;

• two or more physically touching towns, with or without their outgrowths.

• Outgrowth (OG):

• It is a built-up area next to a town. It has urban features but is not a town itself.

• Examples are a railway colony, university campus, port area or military camp.

• A city's size and its "million-plus" status are judged at the UA level.

How the definition shaped Census 2011 numbers

• Total towns: 7,935, made up of 4,041 statutory towns and 3,894 census towns [4]. (The final Census tables give 7,933: 4,041 statutory and 3,892 census towns [2].)
• Towns of all kinds rose from 5,161 (Census 2001) to 7,935 (Census 2011) [4].
• The census-town boom:
• Census towns nearly tripled, from 1,362 (2001) to 3,894 (2011).
• Cause: many large villages, mostly near big cities and along highways, moved from farm work to non-farm work.

• Result: they passed the three tests and were reclassified (moved from rural to urban). This explains much of the rise in urban population in 2001-11, apart from natural increase and migration.

• Urban population in 2011: 377 million, which is 31.16% of India's people [4].

• For the first time since Independence, urban India grew more than rural India in 2001-11 [4]:
• urban increase: 91 million;

• rural increase: 90.5 million.

• 475 UAs in Census 2011. There were 53 million-plus cities in 2011, up from 35 in 2001 [4].

• NCERT Table 2.1 counts towns and UAs together, with each UA counted as one unit. It gives 6,171 in 2011, which is why its figure is lower than 7,935.

Where it occurs

• States with the most census towns (Census 2011) [3]:
• West Bengal: 780
• Kerala: 461
• Tamil Nadu: 376
• Maharashtra: 279

• Uttar Pradesh: 267

• Where census towns grow: large villages on the edge of big cities and along highways.

• Urban agglomeration example: Greater Mumbai UA (Maharashtra) includes nearby towns such as Thane and Navi Mumbai. Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi spread across municipal borders.
• Historical roots:
• Ancient towns such as Varanasi and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Pataliputra (now Patna, Bihar) and Madurai (Tamil Nadu) became urban through religion, trade and royal power. No numbers decided it.

• Colonial rule brought the legal forms still used today: municipalities, corporations and cantonments. These are the roots of the statutory town.

• Who uses it: the Census of India applies it all over India. MoHUA (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) relies on it when sharing funds under AMRUT (2015) and the Smart Cities Mission (2015), which fund statutory ULBs (urban local bodies) [3].

• World: this is India's own definition. Other countries draw the rural-urban line in different ways, so their urban shares cannot be compared directly.

Don't confuse with

• Statutory town vs census town: a statutory town is urban by law (it has a ULB) and needs no size test. A census town is urban by numbers (it passes all three tests) but is still run by a gram panchayat.
• Census town vs outgrowth (OG): a railway colony or university campus next to a town is an outgrowth. It becomes part of a UA. It is not a census town.
• Urban agglomeration vs town: a UA is a continuous urban spread of a town plus its outgrowths, or of touching towns. Many towns can sit inside one UA, which is why NCERT's count (6,171) is lower than 7,935.
• Non-agricultural work vs primary sector: the test is 75% of male main workers in non-agricultural work. "75% of the workforce in the primary sector" is wrong.

Prelims Hooks

• Census-town tests (all three together): ≥5,000 people + ≥75% of male main workers in non-agricultural work + ≥400 persons/sq km.
• A statutory town needs no size, job or density test. A municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee is enough.
• Census 2011: 7,935 towns = 4,041 statutory + 3,894 census towns [4]. Were there more census towns than statutory towns? No (4,041 > 3,894). Census towns in 2001: 1,362.
• State with the most census towns (2011): West Bengal (780), then Kerala (461) and Tamil Nadu (376) [3].
• Census 2011 urban share: 31.16%, or 377 million people [4]. In 2001-11 the urban increase (91 million) was larger than the rural increase (90.5 million) for the first time [4].
• Urban agglomeration = a town plus its outgrowths, or touching towns. Census 2011 had 475 UAs and 53 million-plus cities/UAs [4].

Mains Points

• Hidden urbanisation and under-counting (GS-I):
• Many large villages are urban in character but fall just below one test, for example 4,800 people or 70% of male workers in non-farm work. They are counted as rural.
• Many States are also slow to notify new ULBs.

• So the official 31.16% (2011) is likely lower than India's real urban share. This distorts planning and the sharing of funds.

• Census towns are urban in the count but rural in how they are run:

• 3,894 census towns (2011) are run by gram panchayats. They have no master plan and no building rules.
• They lack urban services such as piped water, sewerage, drainage and solid waste systems.

• The result is unplanned peri-urban sprawl (unplanned growth on the edge of cities), especially in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Policy response and the tension around it:

• The Ministry of Urban Development (now MoHUA) asked 28 States to convert 3,784 census towns into statutory ULBs. The aims are planned infrastructure, more revenue and better services [3].
• Converted towns qualify for central grants under the 14th Finance Commission rules and raise a State's AMRUT share [3].
• Panchayats often resist, because urban status brings higher property taxes and the loss of rural scheme benefits. This works against the 74th Amendment's aim of elected urban government.
• UAs such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi show that cities grow across municipal borders. This supports metropolitan planning committees and planning for the whole region.

Related concepts

• Statutory town
• Census town
• Urban agglomeration

Read more

• What counts as urban: the Census definition and units