Determinants of migration in Jammu and Kashmir: A case study of floating population of Katra Region

Migration is a practice of shifting from the place of residence and living permanently in a new region or country but in some cases it can be on temporary or floating bases. There are diverse forms of migration which are usually named as Rural-Rural migration(R–R), Rural–Urban Migration(R–U) Urban–Rural migration (U–R), Urban-Urban migration (U–U), and Internal Migration. The present study provides the scenario about the factors which causes the rise in the floating population in the Katra region of Jammu and Kashmir region. Basically, Katra is a business hub where ample numbers of employment and job opportunities are available for every individual irrespective of his level of education and economic status. The reveals that in Katra town of the state the local population is less than the floating migrant population. On finding the causes for more migration in Katra region, it was found that the preliminary cause for a shift to Katra region is high level of employment opportunities and increased earnings. Besides this quest for high standard of living with adequate Health care facilities, better educational facilities and increment in the efficiency level of an individual also accounts for the main causes of shift to Katra region. The study also analyzed that the people who are migrated to Katra actually experiencing the good quality of life style, better infrastructural facilities, having access to various employment opportunities and availing the best of the facilities including the ownership of different assets after the migration.