Rural-Urban Migration and Child Survival in India: Evidences from National Family Health Survey (2005-06)

Increasing urbanization and concomitantly accelerating rural-urban migration in India, provide a good scope to investigate the association of later with the infant and child mortality. This paper is an attempt examine the association between rural-urban migration and child mortality. study also analyzes the differentials of mortality rates and maternal and child health care utilization among different migrant and non-migrant groups (natives) using the latest data set of Indian National Family Health Survey, 2005-06. Study documented that rural-urban migrants are found to be ahead of rural natives and behind the urban natives in utilization of maternal and child health care services, while converse is true for infant and child mortality rates. Rural-urban migration is negatively associated with the infant mortality while no significant association has been observed with the early child mortality, after controlling for other socio-economic factors.