Lok Sabha Question No. 1297 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Employment Opportunities in Rural and Semi Urban Areas
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri K Radhakrishnan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1297 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 th  JULY, 2025

## EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN RURAL AND SEMI URBAN AREAS

1297.    SHRI K RADHAKRISHNAN:

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

- (a) the  details  of  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to improve employment opportunities for youth, especially in rural and semi-urban areas during the last five years;
- (b) the details of the number  of workers  brought under formal employment by the Government through schemes like Employment Provident Fund Organisation and Employees State Insurance Corporation during the last three years; and
- (c) the details of the status of implementation of the four new Labour Codes across the Country, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (c): Employment generation coupled with improving employability of  the  youth  including  rural  and  semi-urban  areas  is  a  priority  of  the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment generation schemes/ programmes. These inter-alia include Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAYNRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NULM),  PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana  (PMMY),  etc.  The  details  of  various  employment  generation schemes/programmes  being  implemented  by  the  Government  may  be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes\_programmes.

In  addition,  the  Union  Cabinet  has approved  the  Employment Linked  Incentive  (ELI)  Scheme  to  support  employment  generation, enhance  employability  and  social  security  across  all  sectors,  with special focus on the manufacturing sector.

Employees'  Provident  Fund  Organization  (EPFO)  Payroll  Data indicates the level of employment in the formal sector. During the year 2020-21  to  2024-25,  more  than  5.99  crore  net  subscribers  have  joined EPFO.  Also,  more  than  7.67  crore    newly  registered  employees,  paid contribution under Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) during the year 2020-21 to 2024-25.

'Labour' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and under the Labour Codes, the power to make Rules has been entrusted to Central Government as well as State/UT Governments. As a step  towards  implementation  of  the  four  Labour  Codes,  the  Central Government has pre-published the draft Rules. As per available information, 34, 33,  32  and  33  States/Union  Territories  have  prepublished the draft Rules under the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations  Code,  2020,  the  Code  on  Social  Security,  2020  and  the Occupational Safety, Health and working Conditions Code, 2020 respectively.

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