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Rural and Urban Classification

Census data have always been presented for rural and urban areas separately. The basic unit for rural areas is the revenue village which has definite surveyed boundaries. The revenue village may comprise several hamlets but the entire village has been treated as one unit for presentation of data. In unsurveyed areas, like villages within forest areas, each habitation area with locally recognised boundaries within each forest range officer's beat, was treated as one unit.

The following criteria were adopted for treating a place as urban for the 1981 census:

• (a) All statutory towns, i.e., all places with a municipal corporation, municipal board, cantonment board or notified town area etc.
• (b) All other places which satisfy the following criteria:
  • (i) A minimum population of 5,000;
  • (ii) 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural and allied activity; and
  • (iii) A density of population of at least 400 per sq. km. (or 1,000 per sq. mile).

A town with a population of one hundred thousand and above was treated as a city.

The urban criterion of 1981 was similar to that of 1961 and 1971 except the workers in occupations of fishing, livestock, hunting, logging, plantations and orchards etc., (falling in industrial category (III) were treated as coming under non-agricultural activities in 1961 and 1971 census and in the 1981 census, these activities were treated as agricultural activities for purposes of determining the male working population in non- agricultural activities.

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