Question

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): During 1951-61 the growth of urbanisation in India was slowed down.
Reason (R): There was a change in the definition of urban places and some towns were declassified in 1961 census.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
• C. (A) is correct but (R) is not correct
• D. (A) is not correct but (R) is correct

Hint:

Urbanization rates can be "artificially" affected by changes in statistical definitions. Always check if a change in criteria happened during a census year.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: Urbanization in India is measured by the percentage of the population living in urban areas. This metric is highly sensitive to the administrative and statistical definitions of what constitutes a "town" or "urban area," which have evolved over different census periods.

Step 1: Analyzing Assertion (A).
The decade of 1951-61 is often noted in Indian demographic history for a seemingly slow rate of urban growth compared to the preceding decade (1941-51). While the actual number of people living in cities increased, the *percentage* growth rate of the urban population appeared to have decelerated. Thus, Assertion (A) is historically accurate.

Step 2: Analyzing Reason (R).
The 1961 Census introduced a significantly more rigorous and standardized definition of an "urban area." Prior to 1961, the definition was somewhat flexible and often left to the discretion of local census superintendents. In 1961, strict criteria were applied: a population of at least 5,000, a density of 400 persons per sq. km, and at least 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits.

Step 3: Linking Assertion and Reason.
Because of these new strict criteria, approximately 803 towns that were classified as "urban" in 1951 were "declassified" and treated as rural villages in 1961. This administrative change removed a significant chunk of the population from the "urban" category, which mathematically resulted in the recorded "slowdown" of urbanization. Therefore, (R) provides the direct logical cause for (A).