India is broadly divided into two categories, namely rural and urban areas.

This
categorisation is based on the standard of living and the per capita income of the
people. Unfortunately, there is a huge gap between the rural and urban areas, in
terms of infrastructure, facilities, development, standard of living, etc. which is
often a topic of discussion in academics and political circuit. This rural-urban
divide is also a topic of discussion in business, economy and industry. Thus, you
will encounter rural vs urban as a GD topic during MBA admissions to knwo what the
future managers and entreprenuers think about it. Let's discuss this GD topic.

What is Rural Area?

According to the Planning Commission, “a town with a maximum population of 15,000
is considered rural in nature. In such villages the governing body is the
“Panchayat” that looks after the infrastructure well-being of all the villagers.”

Rural areas are also known as the ‘countryside’ or a ‘village’ in India. The basic
source of revenue and income for a household is majorly agriculture. These areas
contribute to a large share of India’s GDP by means of agriculture.

The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) defines “rural” as follows:

An area with a population density of up to 400 per square kilometer.

Villages with a clear surveyed boundaries but no municipal board.
A minimum of 75 per cent of male working population are involved in agriculture and
allied activities.

What is Urban Area?

Urban areas are a type of human settlement with high population density built with
the need of the hour infrastructure.

According to the Census of India 2011, the term “urban agglomeration” is defined as
an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its “outgrowths”.

The Census of India 2011, defines urban areas as follows:

All the places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town
area committee,
All other places which satisfies the following criteria:
A minimum population of 5,000
At least 75 per cent of the male main working population engaged in non-
agricultural activities
A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq.km.
The differences between Rural and Urban is listed as follows:

Population
As of 2018, more than 65 per cent of India’s population lives in rural areas. From
2008 to 2018 there has been a consistent decline in the percentage of the
population, the majority of which is caused due to migration.
Whereas, more than 34 per cent of India’s population lives in Urban Areas. Although
the total population in urban areas is less as compared to the rural areas, the
population density is way higher than the rural areas.
Industrial areas
There is a drastic difference between the pollution levels between rural and urban
areas.
Pollution level in rural areas is very low as compared to the urban areas, due to
lesser vehicles, lower population density and lesser industries.
Since there are more industries in the urban areas, it leads to releasing of more
pollutants in the atmosphere as well as the water bodies.
This is also a reason why the Air Quality Index (AQI) is increasing higher and
higher, and consistently high levels
 of AQI indicate an increase in respiratory diseases.

Infrastructure
Infrastructure development is on the lower side as compared to urban areas, which
leads to lower employment opportunities which is also a
major reason why people residing in rural areas opt to migrate to the cities in
search for jobs.
Urban areas have more development in terms of access to infrastructure and
connectivity like hospitals, airports, railways, roads etc.
Source of Income
Employment in the rural areas are limited to agricultural activities.
Jobs in the urban areas revolve around manufacturing industry, service industry
along with trade and commerce.
Discrimination
In rural areas, there is a lot of discrimination based on socio-economic status,
gender, religion, caste etc. Nowadays, many workshops and
social awareness drives are being conducted to educate people about their rights,
and the right way to raise their voice against discrimination.
In urban areas, the problems to social barriers is minimal and no discrimination is
done on the basis of gender, religion, caste etc. This
gives equal access to everyone for education, job opportunities etc.
Standard of Living
The standard of living is higher in the urban areas as the Per Capita Income (PCI)
is higher than the rural areas.
With access to better infrastructure and medical facilities, the cost of living
also increases exponentially as compared to the rural areas.