Lok Sabha Question No. 1184 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-25
Subject: Job Loss in Rural Sector
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Adoor Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1184

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  JULY, 2022

## JOB LOSS IN RURAL SECTOR

1184. ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH:

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

- (a) whether the Government has any assessment of job loss and unemployment in rural sector of the country after the onset of covid pandemic in March, 2020, if so the details thereof; and
- (b) the  details  of  measures  taken  by the Government to address the distress in rural employment sector?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  &  (b):  The  data  on  Employment  and  Unemployment  is  collected  through Periodic  Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  conducted  by  the  Ministry  of  Statistics  & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period of PLFS is July to June of next year. As per the available Annual PLFS Reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate(UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in rural sector of the country was 5.0%, 3.9% and 3.3% during 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. This indicates that unemployment rate in rural sector has declining trend.

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.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is a demand  driven wage  employment  programme  which  provide for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Under MGNREGS wage has been increased to Rs. 202 a day from Rs. 182 to benefit 13.62 crore families.

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.  As  on  13.07.2022  benefits have been provided to 59.54 lakh beneficiaries.

Government had launched the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (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.  The  Abhiyaan  has  achieved  an employment generation of 50.78 crore person days with a total expenditure of Rs. 39,293 crore.

The Government has implemented a programme for skilling of rural youth for entrepreneurship development through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs) andDeen Dayal UpadhyayaGrameenKaushalya  Yojana (DDU-GKY),  a  placement  linked  skill  development  programme  for  wage employment.

Prime  Minister's  Employment  Generation  Programme  (PMEGP)  is  a  major credit-linked subsidy programme launched by the Government, aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of microenterprises  in  the  non-farm  sector  by  helping  traditional  artisans  and unemployed youth.

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  08.07.2022,  35.94  crore loans were sanctioned under the scheme.

Further,  the  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  is implementing the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal VikasYojana (PMKVY) to enhance the employability of youth.

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.

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