The Economic Survey of Maharashtra, 2008-09, recently presented in the state legislature pointed to a decline in the ratio of Marathi-speaking population, and this trend, particularly in Pune, has been corroborated by a study conducted by the University of Pune.

Besides, the study by the geography department of the university predicts that migration of people from other states to Pune will further increase in the coming years. This, coupled with sharply decreasing intra-state migration to Pune, is expected to lead to a further dip in Marathi-speaking population in the city.

“The total number of migrants coming from other states to the city will be 7,40,287 in 2021 and 22,98,264 in 2051, if the present trend continues. Intra-state migration to Pune city in 2021 will, however, be 67,453 people, which will come down to only 441 in 2051,” says Vijaya P Khairkar, reader in the geography department, in her paper ‘Migration, Quality of Life and Sustainable Development of Pune City’.

The decline in migration to Pune from other parts of Maharashtra, says the researcher who based her findings on past trends, is due to the fact that places like Nashik, Baramati and Aurangabad have been developing and providing employment to its people over the past few years. With the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) being set up in the rural parts of the state, migration from villages to Pune has also come down.

On the other hand, such schemes have not taken off in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka that face an acute job deficit, forcing people to migrate to other states, especially Maharashtra. The trend is likely to continue for many more years, says the study.

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