Kanpur and Lucknow cities of U.P. became million cities as per the census of India in the year
- (a)1951 and 1961 respectively
- (b)1961 and 1971 respectively
- (c)1971 and 1981 respectively
- (d)1981 and 1991 respectively
Correct — C, 1971 and 1981 respectively. Kanpur, U.P.'s big industrial and textile city, grew fastest and crossed the one-million (ten-lakh) mark first: its census population rose from about 8.9 lakh in 1961 to about 11.6 lakh in 1971, so it became a 'million city' at the 1971 Census. Lucknow, the state capital, grew more slowly and crossed one million a decade later, at the 1981 Census. Hence Kanpur = 1971 and Lucknow = 1981.
- (a)1951 and 1961 respectively — Too early — at the 1961 Census Kanpur was still under a million (about 8.9 lakh), so it could not have crossed the mark by 1951, and Lucknow was far smaller than a million in 1961.
- (b)1961 and 1971 respectively — Kanpur crossed one million only at the 1971 Census, not 1961; and Lucknow did not reach a million by 1971 (it was roughly 7.5 lakh) — it did so only in 1981.
- (d)1981 and 1991 respectively — Too late for Kanpur — it was already well past a million (about 14.9 lakh) by 1981, having crossed the mark back in 1971. This option pushes both cities one census too far.
A 'million-plus' (or 'million city') is a Census of India term for an urban centre whose population is at least one million (ten lakh). India's count of such cities has risen steadily each decade. Within U.P., the industrial city of Kanpur reached the mark before the administrative capital Lucknow, reflecting its earlier and faster industrial-driven growth.
The question rewards a sense of the relative growth of two U.P. cities rather than an exact figure. The reasoning anchor: Kanpur (a major textile/industrial hub) urbanised earlier and faster than Lucknow (a service/administrative capital), so Kanpur crosses one million first — and the two answers must be one census apart, which only option (c) satisfies with Kanpur first.
- Kanpur census population: about 8.9 lakh (1961) rose to about 11.6 lakh (1971) — it became a million city at the 1971 Census.
- Lucknow, the state capital, crossed one million only at the 1981 Census.
- 'Million-plus city' is a Census of India classification for an urban area of at least 10 lakh people.
- Kanpur's industrial base made it grow faster than the administrative capital Lucknow.
Kanpur reached the million mark in 1971, Lucknow in 1981 — so the correct pairing is (c) 1971 and 1981.
- Assuming the state capital (Lucknow) must be the larger/earlier million city — the industrial city Kanpur crossed the mark first.
- Trying to recall an exact population figure instead of the relative order and the one-census gap.
UPPSC often asks census-linked demography of U.P. cities — million-plus counts, decadal growth, and which city crossed a threshold first; reason from relative growth (industrial vs administrative) rather than memorising raw numbers.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is the correct definition of a 'million-plus city' as used by the Census of India?
- (a)An urban area with population of at least 5 lakh
- (b)An urban area with population of at least 10 lakh (one million)
- (c)A district headquarters
- (d)A city with a municipal corporation
Answer(b) An urban area with population of at least 10 lakh (one million) — the Census terms such cities 'million-plus' cities.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Among the following U.P. cities, which one became a million-plus city earliest according to the Census?
- (a)Lucknow
- (b)Agra
- (c)Kanpur
- (d)Varanasi
Answer(c) Kanpur — its industrial growth pushed it past one million at the 1971 Census, ahead of the state capital Lucknow (1981).