Implications of development programs for population redistribution in Sri Lanka with special reference to North Central Province and Colombo Region

Abstract

This thesis analyses the overall migration trends and patterns in Sri Lanka to identify the most popular migration destinations in the country. For this purpose data from the ten percent sample of the 1971 and 1981 censuses were used. Two dominant migration streams were observed: one in the wet zone to Colombo Region, and another in the dry zone to North Central Province (NCP). Since NCP and Colombo Region currently contain the leading development programs of the country, the Mahaweli and the Investment Promotion Zones respectively, the migration trends and patterns of these areas were examined in more detail. The study thus has highlighted some of the desirable and undesirable effects of the leading development programs on population redistribution in the country. The findings indicate that there is also an increasing trend of out-migration from NCP and therefore policies should be formulated to encourage peasants to stay in NCP, at least to achieve the main objectives of the Mahaweli program. The most crowded and one of the most popular destinations in the country, Colombo Region, had the highest net gain of recent migrants (those coming in the past five years) , however lifetime net-migration was higher in NCP. From the demographic point of view this higher attraction of migrants to Colombo Region had an undesirable affect on the goal of achieving a more equitable distribution of population in the country. Therefore national development policies and population redistribution policies should be integrated at the early stages of planning.