Introduction
 

The supposedly greener pastures in the urban areas have always beckoned the rural people in India. Andhra Pradesh is no exception.

The state is basically an agricultural state where about 70% of the population depends upon agriculture for its livelihood. However, since independence, considerable attention has been paid to the development of large, medium and small scale industries in the districts of the state. This has resulted in the tremendous growth of urban population over the years.

The enlarged state of Andhra Pradesh came into existence in 1956, as a result of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. The state with an area of 275, 068 sq. km., and a population of 66, 508, 008 (91 census) is the fifth largest in the Indian union both in terms of area and population and ranks tenth in terms of its urban population.

Over the last decade, the population in the state has increased by 24.2 percent. It has an urban population of 1,78,87,126 constituting 26.89 percent of the total population as against the nation's 26.13 percent. The urban population has witnessed 43.24 percent decadal growth during 1981-91 as against 36.47% for the country as a whole.

 
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