Lok Sabha Question No. 4020 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Assistance to Unemployed during Covid-19
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Bhavana Gawali (Patil), Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, Krupal Balaji Tumane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4020 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## ASSISTANCE TO UNEMPLOYED DURING COVID-19

†4020. SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI: SHRIMATI JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT: SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE:

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

- (a)whether  a  large  number  of  people  have  become  unemployed  during  the COVID-19  pandemic  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof,  Statewise;
- (b)whether  the  Government  has  any  mechanism  to  monitor  the  loss  of employment to the private and public sector employees in the country and if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  details  of  the  areas  affected  by  the epidemic;
- (c)whether the Government has conducted any study to deal with the trend of job loss in private and Government sectors during such a situation and if so, the details thereof along with the outcome thereof;
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to provide assistance to the unemployed people during the period of the first and second wave of COVID-19;
- (e)whether  the  Government  has  taken  certain  steps  like  promotion  of existing  employment  projects  and  increase  in  public  expenditure,  if  so, the details thereof and the State-wise details of the schemes under which the Government took steps to create the employment opportunities after the lockdown in different States including Chhattisgarh?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c): Labour Bureau has been entrusted with the task of conducting the  Quarterly  Employment  Survey  (QES)  as  a  component  of  All  India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey (AQEES). QES report as on 1st  April, 2021 was also designed to collect the information on the Covid19 pandemic impact on the operational status and employment status of the establishments  in  the  selected  9  sectors.  The  impact  on  male  &  female employees during lockdown period is given at Annexure.

As per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey(PLFS) conducted by  National  Statistical  Office  (NSO),  the  estimates  of  Unemployment  rate (UR) (in percent)  in  usual status (ps+ss) for persons of 15 years and above has decreased from 5.8% in PLFS (2018-19) to 4.8% in  PLFS (2019-20).

(d) & (e): Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the  priority  of  the  Government.  Government  has  taken  various  steps  for generating  employment  in  the  country  like  encouraging  various  projects involving substantial investment and increasing 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 Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) run  by  Ministry  of  Micro,  Small  &  Medium  Enterprises,  Ministry  of  Rural Development and Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, respectively.

Government is providing fiscal stimulus of more than Rs. Twenty seven  lakh  crore  as  part  of  the  Aatmanirbhar  Bharat  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)  was  launched  with effect from 1st  October, 2020 as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat package 3.0 to incentivize  employers  for  creation  of  new  employment  along  with  social security  benefits  and  restoration  of  loss  of  employment  during  Covid-19 pandemic.  This  scheme  being  implemented  through  Employees'  Provident Fund  Organisation  (EPFO),  seeks  to  reduce  the  financial  burden  of  the employers and encourages them to hire more workers. The terminal date for to registration of beneficiaries has been extended from 30.06.2021 31.03.2022.

Prime Minister Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme was launched on June 01, 2020 to provide working capital loan to

Street Vendors, vending in urban areas, to resume their businesses.

Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), Government of  India  has  contributed  both  12%  employer's  share  and  12%  employee's share under Employees Provident Fund (EPF), totalling 24% of the wage for the wage month from March to August, 2020 for the establishments having up  to  100  employees  with  90%  of  such  employees  earning  less  than

Rs. 15000/-.

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 unemployment benefit under the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana  being  implemented  by  the  Employees'  State  Insurance  Corporation (ESIC)  has  been  enhanced to 50% from 25% of the average wage, payable upto  90  days,  along  with  relaxation  of  eligibility  conditions  to  claim  the benefit.

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.

Besides these initiatives, the flagship programmes of the Government  such  as  Make  in  India,  Digital  India,  Smart  City  Mission,  Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All, Infrastructure  development  and  Industrial  Corridors  and  Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme are also oriented to generate productive employment opportunities.

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Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4020 for 28.03.2022 raised by Shrimati Bhavana Pundalikrao Gawali and others.

## Sector-wise Impact on Number of Employees during Lockdown Period (25 th March, 2020 to 30 th June, 2020)

| Sl.   | Sectors                    | Number of Employees (in Lakhs)               | Number of Employees (in Lakhs)               | Number of Employees (in Lakhs)   | Number of Employees (in Lakhs)   |
|-------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| No.   |                            | Prior to Lockdown (before 25 th March, 2020) | Prior to Lockdown (before 25 th March, 2020) | As on 1 st July, 2020            | As on 1 st July, 2020            |
|       |                            | Male                                         | Female                                       | Male                             | Female                           |
| 1.    | Manufacturing              | 98.7                                         | 26.7                                         | 87.9                             | 23.3                             |
| 2.    | Construction               | 5.8                                          | 1.8                                          | 5.1                              | 1.5                              |
| 3.    | Trade                      | 16.1                                         | 4.5                                          | 14.8                             | 4                                |
| 4.    | Transport                  | 11.3                                         | 1.9                                          | 11.1                             | 1.9                              |
| 5.    | Education                  | 38.2                                         | 29.5                                         | 36.8                             | 28.1                             |
| 6.    | Health                     | 15                                           | 10.6                                         | 14.8                             | 10.1                             |
| 7.    | Accommodation &Restaurants | 7                                            | 1.9                                          | 6.2                              | 1.7                              |
| 8.    | IT/BPOs                    | 13.6                                         | 6.3                                          | 12.8                             | 6.1                              |
| 9.    | Financial Services         | 11.5                                         | 5.9                                          | 11.3                             | 5.7                              |
| Total | Total                      | 217.8                                        | 90.0                                         | 201.5                            | 83.3                             |

Note: "The number in the 'Total' row also take into account the 66 establishments found during the survey which belong to the sectors other than the nine selected sectors".

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