Lok Sabha Question No. 3597 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-15
Subject: Unemployment Situation in the Country
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3597 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15TH JULY, 2019

## UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY

## 3597.  SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any estimate of the number of people unemployed in the country as of 1-4-2019;
- (b) if so, the details of the number of unemployed people year-wise between1-4-2014 and 31-3-2019;
- (c) whether the Government has an estimate of the disguised unemployment in the country  especially  in  the  agriculture  sector  as  of  1-4-2019,  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government agree with the assessment of the Centre for Monitoring Indian  Economy  (CMIE),  an  economics  and  business  think-tank,  as  of  2018, unemployment in India had risen to 31 million individuals looking for jobs; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to address the unemployment situation in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): As per the results of annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation during 2017-18 and employment-unemployment survey conducted by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the estimated unemployment rate on  usual  status  (principal  status+subsidiary  status)  basis  for  the  persons  of  age  15 years and above is given below:

| Survey* Year            | Unemployment Rate   |
|-------------------------|---------------------|
| 2017-18(PLFS)           | 6.0%                |
| Survey by Labour Bureau |                     |
| 2015-16                 | 3.7%                |
| 2013-14                 | 3.4%                |

(Note:  *  Survey  methodology  and  sample  selection  are  different  in  PLFS  and  Labour  Bureau survey)

(d):  Centre  for  Monitoring  Indian  Economy  (CMIE)  is  a  private  Institution  and  the Government is not aware of the survey design and methodology adopted by the CMIE.

(e): Employment generation coupled with improving  employability is the  priority  of the Government. Government has taken various steps towards generating employment in  the  country  like  encouraging  private  sector  of  economy,  fast-tracking  various projects involving substantial  investment  and  increasing public expenditure on schemes  such  as  Prime  Minister's  Employment  Generation  Programme  (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal  Upadhyaya  Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana  (DDU-GKY)  and  Deendayal  Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).

Pradhan  Mantri  Rojgar  Protsahan  Yojana  (PMRPY)  has  been  launched  by  the Ministry of Labour and Employment  for incentivising employers for promoting employment generation. Under this scheme, Government is paying entire employer's contribution  (12%  or  as  admissible)  towards  EPF  and  EPS  for  all  eligible  new employees for all sectors for 3 years.

Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY)  has  been  initiated  by  Government  inter alia  for  facilitating  self-employment.  Under  PMMY  collateral  free  loans  upto  Rs.  10 lakh,  are  extended  to  micro/small  business  enterprises  and  to  individuals  to  enable them to setup or expand their business activities.

Government has implemented the National Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises  a  digital  portal  that  provides  a  nation-wide  online  platform  for  the  job seekers and employers for job-matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content to job seekers.

Start-up India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of start-up businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

Besides these initiatives, flagship programmes of the Government such as Make in  India,  Digital  India,  Swachh  Bharat  Mission,  Smart  City  Mission,  Atal  Mission  for Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation,  Housing  for  All,  Infrastructure  development and  Industrial  corridors  have  the  potential  to  generate  productive  employment opportunities. Ministries/  Departments/ States run skill  development  schemes across various sectors to improve the employability of youth and also facilitate placements. Schemes  such  as  the  National  Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS)  wherein Government  reimburses  25  percent  of  the  stipend  payable  to  apprentices  also enhances employability of the youth to access employment.

*****