Decentralizing Urbanization in Bangladesh: Exploring the Impact of Micro-Credit in Reducing Rural-Urban Migration

Abstract

The nature and characteristics of urbanization has remained similar to the pattern during the British period despite the growth in the urban population (CUS, 1976). The most phenomenal urban population growth in Bangladesh occurred during the 1961-74 inter-census period. Over 6 million people were living in urban areas constituting roughly 8.0% of the total population (BBS, 1987). That accelerated growth is to a great extent the result of the very recent influx from rural villages. The growth rate of the urban population was 5.4% during the 1981-1991 (BBS, 1997). The total population increased to 28.6 million by 2001(BBS, 2003). Bangladesh is over populated country in the world. Every day a lot of rural people come to urban area for many reasons. It is considered as a behavioral attribute that reflects the dedication of the people of origin and destination to reach. Rural-urban migration currently becomes a common fact and the situation is not in control. For this, development in decentralization in Bangladesh is advocated along with the need for planning development activities at local levels. For local levels development activities we need to focus on NGOs activities in rural area. The NGOs, in order to support social and economic empowerment of the poor, have vastly widened their activities to include group formation, to introduce micro credit, to conduct formal and non-formal education, training, to work on health and nutrition, family planning and welfare, agriculture and related activities, water supply and sanitation, to work on human rights and advocacy, to provide legal aid and other areas. These organizations mostly follow the target-group strategy under which the poor with similar socioeconomic interests are to achieve their objectives. This concluded the research and discussed briefly the objective phrase of “Decentralizing Urbanization in Bangladesh: Exploring the impact of micro-credit in reducing rural-urban migration” in the light of our findings from village surveys. To fulfill the purposes of the research will be facing some of the questions and queries. These queries are expected to be fulfilled as soon as the completion of the research objectives. Therefore, the research content, purpose, and ask if these factors, it is logical for the recent period, the research process. Many techniques are used to complete the study. The following strategies and objectives of our research were used to collect data for primary stage. Through this survey we find that, these two villages was match with our objectives. Here we discuss about their social and economic activities and conditions. In these two villages maximum households are involved with NGO activities. Our survey report says that all of 200 respondents of these villages take loans from NGOs. The reasearch result brings about the light of information that for activities of different NGOs, still people do not need to move out to the cities for their living, rather they find everything inside their locality by doing something somehow and enjoying economic development and so. Since both villages have good highways and road to travel cities by bus, people can easily manage traveling back and forth. The picture we see about the migration here is somehow similar to seasonal migration and circular migration category. Otherwise, no other kind of migration is seen here, usually. This way our research objectives became fulfilled and successful by thorough analyses and discussions clearly presented in this thesis.