Home / India News / 600,000 or 1 million? India unclear on its village count & why that matters

600,000 or 1 million? India unclear on its village count & why that matters

The number and definition of villages vary across databases, making it challenging to plan

Premium

Source: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Last Updated : Aug 04 2017 | 9:14 AM IST

The number of villages in India is anywhere between 600,000 and one million, according to various government databases. The number and the definition of villages vary across databases, making it challenging to plan across sectors for a village development plan.

There are around 649,481 villages in India, according to Census 2011, the most authoritative source of information about administrative boundaries in the country. Of these, 593,615 are inhabited.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGA)–India’s labour law that guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households–considers villages and their hamlets as distinct entities, and hence

What you get on BS Premium?

Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Preferential invites to Business Standard events.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

VIEW ALL FAQs

Need More Information - write to us at assist@bsmail.in