Lok Sabha Question No. 3450 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-09
Subject: Re-employment to workers after lockdown
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Malook Nagar, Ashok Kumar Rawat, Kanakmal Katara

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3450

TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  AUGUST, 2021

## RE-EMPLOYMENT TO WORKERS AFTER LOCKDOWN

3450. SHRI MALOOK NAGAR: SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

SHRI KANAKMAL KATARA:

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

- (a) the  number  of  organised/unorganized  labourers  and  workers  who  lost  their employment due to COVID19;
- (b) the  plan  of  the  Government  to  provide  reemployment  to  the  unemployed organised and unorganized labourers and all the workers;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  survey  to  ascertain  their  actual number and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether there has been an increase in the number of labourers in unorganised sector year to year during the last three years and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the  steps  being  taken  to  regulate  the  unorganised  sector  and  bring  these labourers in the ambit of organised sector and the details thereof?
- (f) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  to  create  employment  opportunities  in  the unorganised sector and whether survey is being done by the Labour Bureau on quarterly basis; and
- (g) the steps taken by the  Government for the rehabilitation, welfare and employment of  the  migrant  labourers  returned  from  various  States  during  the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 global pandemic and the details of the steps taken  by  the  Government  to  identify  such  migrant  labourers  and  to  provide employment to them?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  &  (b): COVID-19  pandemic  has  affected  all  sections  of  the  society  including organised/ unorganised workers. Government has taken several initiatives to address the challenges and threats posed by the pandemic. Fiscal stimulus of more than Rs. Twenty  seven  lakh  crore  is  being  provided  as  part  of  the  Aatmanirbhar  financial

Package, comprising of various long term schemes/programmes/ policies for making the country self-reliant and to create employment opportunities.

Aatmanirbhar  Bharat  Rojgar  Yojana  (ABRY)  has  been  launched  w.e.f.  1st October, 2020 to incentivize employers for creation of new employment along with social  security  benefits  and  restoration  of  employment.  The  new  employees  under the  scheme  includes  those  who  have  lost  their  employment  during  Covid-19 pandemic  and  didn't  join  in  any  EPF  covered  establishment  upto  30.09.2020.The terminal  date  for  registration  of  beneficiary  under  the  scheme  has  been  extended from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022.

Government had launched the GaribKalyanRojgarAbhiyaan (GKRA) of 125 days on  20th  June,  2020  to  boost  employment  and  livelihood  opportunities  for  returnee migrant workers and similarly affected persons including youth in rural areas, in 116 selected  districts  across  6  States  of  Bihar,  Jharkhand,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

PM- SVANidhi Scheme has facilitated collateral free working capital loan upto Rs.10,000/-  for  one-year  tenure  to  street  vendors,  to  help  them  resume  their businesses during the post Covid period.

Government is encouraging various projects involving substantial investment and  through  public  expenditure  on  schemes  like  Prime  Minister's  Employment Generation  Programme  (PMEGP),  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS),  Pt.  DeenDayalUpadhyayaGrameenKaushalyaYojana (DDU-GKY),  DeendayalAntodayaYojana-National  Urban  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAYNULM), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) etc.

Government has increased MGNREGA wage to Rs. 202 a day from Rs. 182 to benefit nearly 13.62 crore families.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is being implemented by the 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.

In addition, RBI and Government of India have introduced measures to infuse liquidity  in  the  economy  to  sustain  the  market  economy  and  raise  the  level  of employment.

(c)  to  (g):  The  data  on  employment/  unemployment  is  being  collected  through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry  of  Statistics  &  Programme  Implementation  (MoSPI).  Labour  Bureau,  an attached office of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, has been entrusted with the task of conducting the All India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES)to capture change in employment in various establishments in the country.

The Ministry is also developing a National Database for Unorganized Workers (NDUW) Portal seeded with Aadhaar for registration of unorganized workers.

The  Unorganised  Workers  Social  Security  Act,  2008,  provides  for  social security  to  unorganised  sector  workers  through  formulation  of  suitable  welfare schemes by Central and State Governments. Accordingly,   Central Government has formulated schemes for unorganised workers for providing  life  and  disability  cover through  Pradhan  Mantri  JeevanJyotiBimaYojana  (PMJJBY)  and  Pradhan  Mantri SurkshaBimaYojana  (PMSBY)  launched  in  2015,  health  and  maternity  benefits through Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana(PMJAY)  launched in 2018, and old age protection through pension under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) and National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employeed Persons  (NPS-Traders)  launched  in  March,  2019.  The  Unorganised  Workers  Social Security  Act  2008  which  contain  several  for  imparting  social  security  coverage  to unorganised sector workers.

Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has implemented the special  programme for the fresh skilling (short Term Training (STT)) and upskilling (Recognition of Prior  Learning (RPL)) of  the  returnee  migrant  workers impacted by COVID-19 under its flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to  support the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (GKRA). This special programme has covered  116  districts  of  6  states  namely  Assam,  Bihar,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. MSDE with the support of District Administration has undertaken skill mapping of the returnee migrants and identified the beneficiaries for the training under PMKVY.

Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  had  issued  Advisory  Guidelines  to  all  the States/UTs for the welfare of the migrant workers returning to the destination States in the backdrop of Covid-19. The Guidelines inter-alia, advised States/UTs to maintain updated  data  of  the  migrant  workers  to  facilitate  the  administration  to  extend benefits of the welfare schemes of the Government to such workers. States/UTs were also advised by the Ministry to frame a scheme under Building and other Construction workers (BOCW) Act, 1996 for transfer of funds in the bank account  of  BOC  workers.  In  response,  during  first  wave  of  Covid19pendamic,  Rs. 5618 crores were disbursed to 1.83 crore BOCW workers and during second wave, Rs. 1795 crores have been disbursed to 1.23 crore workers. In addition to above, measures have also been taken by the Government under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to support the poor including migrant workers,  through  provision  of  free  food  grains,  gas  cylinders  free  of  cost,  direct transfer of financial assistance into bank account of the beneficiaries, etc.

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