Chennai tops in slum population

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 27. For the first time in the census data collection operations, slum demography has been incorporated. Chennai town tops the list with 10,79,414 total slum population, followed by Madurai registering 1,75,875 and Tiruchi recording 1,62,133.

While the lowest figure has been recorded at Pattukottai in Thanjavur district - 655, followed by Aruppukkottai in Virudhunagar district - 2,678 and the minimum being Attur in Salem district - 4,289.

Releasing the `Provisional Population Totals - Paper 2 of 2001' pertaining to Tamil Nadu, Dr. C. Chandramouli, Director, Census Operations-Tamil Nadu, Chennai, explained at a press conference here today that at the Corporation level too, the slum populace in Chennai had topped with 25.60 per cent when compared to the total population, closely followed by Tiruchi (21.73 per cent), Salem (20.02 per cent), Madurai (19.06 per cent), Tirunelveli (13.85 per cent) and the Coimbatore Corporation recording the lowest - 6.49 per cent.

Literacy rate

Giving details of the general literacy rate in the slums, Dr. Chandramouli noted that slums in Kanyakumari district recorded nearly 90 per cent literacy rate in the 2001 census.

Slums of Dindigul district recorded the second highest literacy rate of 87.91 per cent followed by Tiruvottiyur in Thiruvalluvar district with 85.77 per cent.

In terms of male-female literacy ratio, Dindigul recorded 93.55 per cent literacy rate for males, Nagercoil - 93.30 per cent and Arakkonam in Vellore district - 93.17 per cent literacy.

With respect to the slum female literacy rate, Nagercoil recorded 86.66 per cent, Dindigul 82.20 per cent and Tiruvottiyur 79.39 per cent.

While there was no doubt that the literacy rate had grown in the State, the provisional figures collected so far indicated female literacy rate was much less compared to the male. The data showed that the literacy rate in the State was 73.47 per cent with 82.33 per cent males and 64.55 per cent females being literate.

The figures also showed a glaring divide in terms of male-female literacy rate ratio in rural and urban areas.

In rural areas 77.47 per cent males were literate against 55.84 per cent females. In the urban areas, 88.40 per cent males were literate in comparison to 75.64 per cent females, While Kanyakumari district recorded the highest of 86.72 per cent literacy rate, Thoothukudi 78.13 per cent, the Nilgiris 76.83 per cent, Dharmapuri recorded the lowest of 55.42 per cent, Salem 58.10 per cent and Dharmapuri 58.30 per cent.

Dealing with the urban agglomeration, Dr. Chandramouli said the current data so far collected showed that ``the heart of the city is getting less populated while the periphery is getting heavily populated.'' This phenomenon was largely due to ``migration.''

The demographical data would be made available both in hard publication format and in CDs for planners, decision makers and others for a price.

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Section  : Southern States
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