India’s Registrar General and Census Commissioner recently confirmed that the Census 2027 will retain the existing urban area definition. This decision aims to maintain comparability with earlier censuses and track urbanisation trends. However, the current urban classification system faces criticism for being outdated and inadequate to capture India’s evolving settlement patterns.
Current Urban Classification Criteria
Urban areas in India are categorised as statutory towns or census towns. Statutory towns have formal urban local bodies such as municipal corporations or councils. Census towns, though governed rurally, meet three criteria – a population above 5,000, at least 75% of the male workforce engaged in non-agricultural work, and a population density of 400 persons per square kilometre or more. These criteria have remained unchanged since the 2011 Census.
Limitations of the Present Definition
The current binary urban-rural classification ignores the complex reality of settlements. Many census towns function like urban areas but lack formal urban governance and infrastructure. Panchayati Raj institutions governing these areas have limited autonomy and financial control compared to urban local bodies. This gap leads to inadequate planning, service delivery, and resource allocation in rapidly urbanising areas.
Case Study – West Bengal’s Census Towns
West Bengal exemplifies the governance lag in urban classification. Between 2001 and 2011, the state saw 526 new census towns. Yet, 251 census towns identified in 2001 remained under rural governance a decade later. This delay in ‘municipalisation’ means many urbanised settlements lack elected urban bodies and proper infrastructure, hindering development.
Implications for Urbanisation Measurement
Research suggests that India’s official urban population figure of 31% in 2011 may be underestimated. Depending on population density thresholds, the urban share could be as high as 35–57%. Many settlements with urban characteristics remain unrecognised due to administrative boundaries or outdated criteria. The 75% male workforce rule excludes many small towns and overlooks non-agricultural work by women and gig economy workers.
Changing Nature of Work and Settlement Patterns
The spread of industries, services and gig economy jobs into semi-urban and rural areas blurs the rural-urban divide. Many people engage in both agricultural and non-agricultural activities, often seasonally. The male workforce criterion ignores women’s informal and unpaid labour. These factors show the need for a more nuanced urban definition that reflects current socio-economic realities.
Challenges Ahead for Census 2027
Retaining the outdated urban definition risks misclassifying millions and undercounting urbanised populations. It may exclude many fast-growing settlements from urban governance and infrastructure development. A rigid binary framework no longer captures India’s dynamic settlement landscape. Revisiting urban criteria is essential for accurate data, better planning and inclusive urban policies.
Questions for UPSC:
- Point out the limitations of the current urban-rural classification in India and estimate its impact on urban governance and infrastructure development.
- Critically analyse the role of Census data in shaping urban policy in India and discuss the challenges of defining urban areas in a rapidly changing socio-economic environment.
- Underline the changes in employment patterns due to the gig economy and how they affect traditional definitions of urban and rural areas in India.
- With suitable examples, estimate the implications of delayed municipalisation of census towns on local governance and service delivery in India.
