Articles by R B Bhagat

Since the 1970s, urbanisation across the globe has been shaped by corporate capital under the neo-liberal policies of the state. Cities are treated as consumer products with massive private investment in real estate, corporate and public infrastructure, entertainment facilities, and security, to promote corporate urban development. The urban poor, slum dwellers, and migrants are dispossessed as a result of urban restructuring and gentrification. This article evaluates women’s migration to urban areas, identifies exclusionary processes against migrants in cities, and suggests strategies for implementing the “right to the city” perspective.

The regional pattern of temporary and seasonal labour migration in India assumes sharp focus when seen in the light of data from the 64th round of the National Sample Survey. The phenomenon is more prevalent in rural areas of the country's northern and eastern states. This paper also examines the association between temporary migration and its determining factors, particularly economic status, landholding and educational levels. It observes that there is a significant negative association between economic and educational attainment and temporary migration, both in rural and urban areas. In general, socio-economically deprived groups such as adivasis and those from the lower castes have a greater propensity to migrate seasonally, which also reflects its distress-driven nature.

Satish Deshpande and Mary E John in “The Politics of Not Counting Caste” (19 June) argue very forcefully for the inclusion of caste in the 2011 Census. Various types of caste inequality and injustice still prevail in Indian society and caste continues to be an important social reality.

While the censuses in colonial India categorised and enumerated the various castes, the censuses in independent India only enumerate the population of castes and tribes according to the central government list. With the Supreme Court requiring fresh data on the other backward classes, how will the identification of the OBC from the 4,000 castes in the country be undertaken?

Although a Hindu-Muslim differential in fertility has persisted in India, it is no more than one child, and even this gap is not likely to endure as fertility among Muslims declines with increasing levels of eduation and standards of living. While the lower level of contraceptive use among Muslims is the most important factor responsible for the fertility differentials, the use of contraceptives has increased faster among Muslims in recent times. However, the relatively higher fertility among Muslims cannot be understood independent of its socio-economic and political contexts.