Lok Sabha Question No. 3372 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-21
Subject: Rising Rural Unemployment
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: S. Venkatesan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3372 ANSWERED ON 21/03/2023

## RISING RURAL UNEMPLOYMENT

## 3372.   SHRI S. VENKATESAN:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of rising rural unemployment and reduction in labour participation rate to alarming scale i.e. 7.23 per cent to which it reached as per reports like CMIE release in February, 2023 and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) whether the Government has done independent assessment in this regard, if so, the details  thereof  and  if  not,  the  manner  in  which  the  Government  will  address  the issues?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)  and   (b):  From  the  Periodic  Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  conducted  by  the  National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during July 2017-June 2018, July 2018-June 2019, July 2019June  2020,  July  2020-June  2021  and  July  2021  -  June  2022,  the  estimated  Labour  Force Participation  Rate  (LFPR)  according  to  usual  status  (principal  status+  subsidiary  status (ps+ss)) and estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) according to usual status (ps+ss) in rural areas of India, is given below:

Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) (in percent) and Unemployment Rate (UR) (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in rural areas of India during 2017-18, 201819, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22

| Survey (year)   |   LFPR (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss) |   UR (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss) |
|-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| PLFS (2017-18)  |                                                   37   |                                                  5.3 |
| PLFS (2018-19)  |                                                   37.7 |                                                  5   |
| PLFS (2019-20)  |                                                   40.8 |                                                  4   |
| PLFS (2020-21)  |                                                   42.7 |                                                  3.3 |
| PLFS (2021-22)  |                                                   42.2 |                                                  3.3 |

Source: Annual Report, PLFS: 2021-22

For creating employment opportunities and imparting skills to rural people, this Ministry is implementing  a  number  of  schemes  viz.,  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana  (DDU-GKY)  and  Rural  Self  Employment  Training  Institutes  (RSETIs).  While

Mahatma Gandhi NREGS assures guaranteed employment to unskilled workers in the rural areas,  DDU-GKY and RSETI schemes promote employability through either wage or selfemployment. Apart  from  this,  under  Pradhan  Mantri  Awaas  Yojana-  Gramin  (PMAY-G) , there  is  a provision to provide support of 90 persondays (95 persondays in Hill states, difficult areas and North Eastern States and Integrate Action Plan districts) unskilled wage employment at the current rates to a PMAY-G beneficiary for construction of his / her house in convergence with Mahatma Gandhi NREGA as per instructions issued from time to time.  In addition to this, this Ministry is implementing the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), a  sub  scheme  under  Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission (DAY-NRLM), with the objective of helping the rural poor, including artisans and weavers, to setup enterprises at the village level in non-agricultural sectors.

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