Growth of urban centres not due to industrialization in Nagaland

 Our Correspondent

The growth of urban centres is not driven by industrialization in Nagaland State, according to Thematic Report 2009 ‘Rural-urban migration,’ a GoI- UNDP Project (Strengthening of the state plans for human development).

Till date there are “no major industries or corporate establishments worth mentioning and the government remains the largest employer in the state,” the report stated.
In such a situation, a large proportion of the rural to urban migrants who come in search of better livelihood and employment remain unemployed.

They constitute a large section of the “urban poor.” Though no systematic study on urban poverty in the State has been done, it is estimated that urban poverty is one of the emerging major problems of the urban areas. The report stated that the term “urban poor” refers to people in urban and urbanized areas who are without houses and whose income falls within the poverty line set by the government. The most commonly used way to measure poverty is based on income and consumption levels. A person is considered poor if his or her consumption or income levels fall below a minimum level necessary to meet basic needs. This minimum level is usually called the ‘poverty line’, which varies across countries and time.

The report added that such measurements of income-poverty has always been an important component in studies of poverty as income often is the deciding factor in determining their condition.

The areas for expenditure being wider for urban households, they are more vulnerable to poverty. In the urban areas, a typical household budget would go towards: transportation; getting to and from workplace, children’s school and essential services, housing and maintenance; rented included, if living in rented house, access to clean water, sanitation and garbage disposal as payment to cleaners, health care and children’s’ education, the report stated.