Lok Sabha Question No. 1 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-11-29
Subject: Employment Guarantee and Livelihood for Urban Poor
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Raju Bista

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH  NOVEMBER, 2021

## EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE AND LIVELIHOOD FOR URBAN POOR

## 1.  SHRI RAJU BISTA:

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

- (a) the level of year-wise unemployment in the country during the last five years;
- (b) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  start  any  scheme  to  ensure  wages, employment  guarantee  and  livelihood  for  urban  poor  in  the  wake  of  COVID pandemic; and
- (c) the  total  number  of  'Atal  Pension  Yojana'  accounts  opened  in  West  Bengal, particularly  in  the  districts  of  Darjeeling  and  Kalimpong  along  with  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a):    The  data  on  employment/  unemployment  is  collected  through  Periodic  Labour Force  Survey  (PLFS)  conducted  by  National  Statistical  Office  (NSO),  Ministry  of Statistics  &  Programme  Implementation  (MOSPI)  since  2017-18.  The  estimated Unemployment Rate(UR) for persons of 15 years and above on usual status basis in the country in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 are 6.0%, 5.8% and 4.8% respectively.

- (b): Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs is implementing a Centrally-sponsored Scheme viz.  the  'Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Urban  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAYNULM)' to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households by enabling them to  access  gainful  self-employment  and  skilled  wage  employment  opportunities.  The Employment through Skills Training and Placement (EST&P) component of the Mission aims to provide skills to the urban poor to increase their income through structured and market-oriented certified courses that can provide wage employment and/or selfemployment  opportunities  which  will  eventually  lead  to  better  living  standards  and alleviation of urban poverty on a sustainable basis.

Aatmanirbhar  Bharat  Rozgar  Yojana  (ABRY)  Scheme  has  been  launched  on 01.10.2021 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 the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO),  reduces  the  financial  burden  of  the  employers  of  various  sectors/industries including  MSME  and  encourages  them  to  hire  more  workers.  Under  ABRY,  the Government  of  India  is  bearing  both  the  employees'  share  (12%  of  wages)  and employers' share (12% of wages) of contribution payable or only the employees' share, depending on employment strength of the EPFO registered establishments.

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is implementing Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which is a major credit-linked subsidy programme  aimed  at  generating  self-employment  opportunities  through establishment  of  micro-enterprises  in  the  non-farm  sector  by  helping  traditional artisans and unemployed youth.

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.

Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas  Yojana  (PMKVY)  is  the  flagship  scheme  of  the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industryrelevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood and to meet their employment as well as self employment requirement.

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 and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme are oriented to generate productive employment opportunities.

(c):  As  on  31.10.2021,  the  total  number  of  Atal  Pension  Yojana  (APY)  enrolments registered  in  West  Bengal  is  2,802,990.  Further,  in  districts  of  Darjeeling  and Kalimpong,  the  number  of  enrolments  registered  under  APY  is  60,963  and  7,658 respectively, as on 31.10.2021.

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