Lok Sabha Question No. 838 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-12
Subject: Unemployment Rate
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Veena Devi, Debasree Chaudhuri

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 838 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

## 838.   BY SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI: MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

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

- (a) whether  the  unemployment  rate  among  labourers  has  increased  on  large scale in India due to the Corona epidemic and if so, the details thereof, Statewise;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  reviewed  the  rate  of  unemployment  of  the workers of the Government and non-Government unorganized sector during the Covid pandemic and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the Government  has  formulated  the policies  for  employment generation;
- (d) whether the Union Government is contemplating to provide monthly unemployment  allowances  to  the  educated  and  uneducated  (unskilled) unemployed  in  the  country,  if  so,  the  details  thereof,  if  not,  the  reasons therefor;
- (e) the current rate of unemployment in the country and details of steps taken by the Government to bring down the rate of unemployment; and
- (f) the year-wise details of increase in the rate of unemloyment in the country during the last five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a)  to  (f):  The  official  data  source  on  Employment and Unemployment is Periodic Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  which  is  conducted  by  the  Ministry  of  Statistics  & Programme Implementation  (MoSPI)  since  2017-18.  The  survey  period  is  July  to June of next year. As per the available latest Annual PLFS Reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above was  6.0%,  5.8%,  4.8%  and  4.2%  during  2017-18,  2018-19,  2019-20  and  2020-21, respectively,  which  shows  that  unemployment  rate  in  the  country  has  declined. The State/UT-wise estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above during 2017-18 to 2020-21 is at Annexure.

Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Accordingly, the Government of India has taken various steps for generating employment in the country. The Government of India has announced Aatmanirbhar Bharat package to provide stimulus to business and to mitigate the adverse  impact  of  Covid  19.  Under  this  package,  the  Government  is  providing fiscal  stimulus  of  more  than  Rupees  Twenty  Seven  lakh  crore.  This  package comprises  of  various  long  term  schemes/  programmes/  policies  for  making  the country self-reliant and to create employment opportunities.

The  Aatmanirbhar  Bharat  Rojgar  Yojana  (ABRY)  was  launched  with  effect from 1st October, 2020 to incentivize employers for creation of new employment and  restoration  of  loss  of  employment  during  Covid-19  pandemic.  The  terminal date  for  registration  of  beneficiaries  was  31.03.2022.  Since  inception  of  the scheme, till 28.11.2022, benefits of Rs. 7855.07 Crore have been provided to 60.13 lakhs beneficiaries under the scheme.

Government  is  implementing  Prime  Minister  Street  Vendor's  AtmaNirbhar Nidhi  (PM  SVANidhi  Scheme)  since  June  01,  2020  to  facilitate  collateral  free working  capital  loan  to  street  vendors  to  restart  their  businesses,  which  were adversely  impacted  during  the  Covid-19  pandemic.  As  on  02.12.2022,  37.68  lakh loans amounting to ₹4,378 Crore have been disbursed under the scheme.

The Government of India is encouraging various projects involving substantial  investment  and  public  expenditure  on  schemes  like  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  Deen  Dayal  Antodaya  Yojana-National  Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) etc. for employment generation.

Pradhan  Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) was launched by the Government 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.  Upto  25.11.2022,  an  amount  of  Rs 15.56 lakh crore was disbursed in 37.76 crore loan accounts sanctioned under the scheme.

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes is being implemented by the Government with an outlay of Rs. 1.97 lakh crore, for a period of 5 years starting from  2021-22  which  have  potential  for  creating  60  lakh  new  jobs.  All  these initiatives are expected to collectively generate employment in the medium to long term through multiplier-effects. PM  GatiShakti  is  a  transformative  approach  for  economic  growth  and sustainable  development.  The  approach  is  driven  by  seven  engines,  namely, Roads,  Railways,  Airports,  Ports,  Mass  Transport,  Waterways  and  Logistics Infrastructure.  This  approach  is  powered  by  Clean  Energy  and  Sabka  Prayas leading to huge job and entrepreneurial opportunities for all. Besides  these  initiatives,  various  flagship  programmes  of  the  Government such as Make in India, Start-up India, Stand-up India, Digital India, Housing for All etc. are also oriented towards generating employment opportunities.

There  is  no  proposal  of  unemployment  allowance  under  consideration  of Ministry.

*****

Annexure referred to in reply of part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 838 due for reply on 12.12.2022

State/UT-wise Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above during 2017-18 to 2020-21

| S. No.    | States/UTs           | 2017-18   | 2018-19   |   2019-20 | 2020-21   |
|-----------|----------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh       | 4.5       | 5.3       |       4.7 | 4.1       |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh    | 5.8       | 7.7       |       6.7 | 5.7       |
| 3         | Assam                | 7.9       | 6.7       |       7.9 | 4.1       |
| 4         | Bihar                | 7.0       | 9.8       |       5.1 | 4.6       |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh         | 3.3       | 2.4       |       3.3 | 2.5       |
| 6         | Delhi                | 9.4       | 10.4      |       8.6 | 6.3       |
| 7         | Goa                  | 13.9      | 8.7       |       8.1 | 10.5      |
| 8         | Gujarat              | 4.8       | 3.2       |       2   | 2.2       |
| 9         | Haryana              | 8.4       | 9.3       |       6.4 | 6.3       |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh     | 5.5       | 5.1       |       3.7 | 3.3       |
| 11        | Jharkhand            | 7.5       | 5.2       |       4.2 | 3.1       |
| 12        | Karnataka            | 4.8       | 3.6       |       4.2 | 2.7       |
| 13        | Kerala               | 11.4      | 9.0       |      10   | 10.1      |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh       | 4.3       | 3.5       |       3   | 1.9       |
| 15        | Maharashtra          | 4.8       | 5.0       |       3.2 | 3.7       |
| 16        | Manipur              | 11.5      | 9.4       |       9.5 | 5.6       |
| 17        | Meghalaya            | 1.6       | 2.7       |       2.7 | 1.7       |
| 18        | Mizoram              | 10.1      | 7.0       |       5.7 | 3.5       |
| 19        | Nagaland             | 21.4      | 17.4      |      25.7 | 19.2      |
| 20        | Odisha               | 7.1       | 7.0       |       6.2 | 5.3       |
| 21        | Punjab               | 7.7       | 7.4       |       7.3 | 6.2       |
| 22        | Rajasthan            | 5.0       | 5.7       |       4.5 | 4.7       |
| 23        | Sikkim               | 3.5       | 3.1       |       2.2 | 1.1       |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu           | 7.5       | 6.6       |       5.3 | 5.2       |
| 25        | Telangana            | 7.6       | 8.3       |       7   | 4.9       |
| 26        | Tripura              | 6.8       | 10.0      |       3.2 | 3.2       |
| 27        | Uttarakhand          | 7.6       | 8.9       |       7.1 | 6.9       |
| 28        | Uttar Pradesh        | 6.2       | 5.7       |       4.4 | 4.2       |
| 29        | West Bengal          | 4.6       | 3.8       |       4.6 | 3.5       |
| 30        | Andaman & N. Island  | 15.8      | 13.5      |      12.6 | 9.1       |
| 31        | Chandigarh           | 9.0       | 7.3       |       6.3 | 7.1       |
| 32        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 0.4       | 1.5       |       3   |           |
| 33        | Daman & Diu          | 3.1       | 0.0       |       2.9 | 4.2       |
| 34        | Jammu & Kashmir      | 5.4       | 5.1       |       6.7 | 5.9       |
| 35        | Ladakh               | -         | -         |       0.1 | 2.9       |
| 36        | Lakshadweep          | 21.3      | 31.6      |      13.7 | 13.4      |
| 37        | Puducherry           | 10.3      | 8.3       |       7.6 | 6.7       |
| All India | All India            | 6.0       | 5.8       |       4.8 | 4.2       |

Source: PLFS, MoSPI