Lok Sabha Question No. 2672 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-17
Subject: Job Security in Kerala
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2672 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH  MARCH, 2025

## JOB SECURITY IN KERALA

## 2672.   SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

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

- (a) the current status of unemployment rates in Kerala and the steps taken  by  the  Government  to  address  job  scarcity,  particularly among the youth and educated workforce;
- (b) the details of pending ESI and EPF claims in Kerala, including the number  of  unresolved  cases  and  the  reasons  for  delays  in processing;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  any  plans  to  upgrade  Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals in Kerala into superspecialty hospitals or medical colleges to provide better healthcare for workers, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of the total number of migrant workers in Kerala and the  measures  taken  to  ensure  their  social  security,  working conditions, insurance and wage protection; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiatives  to  revive traditional industries such as coir, cashew and handloom, which are major employment providers in Kerala and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a)  to  (e):  The  official  data  on  Employment  and  Unemployment  is collected through Periodic Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS) which  is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is July to June every year.

As  per  the  data  available  in  latest  Annual  PLFS  report,  the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in Kerala has decreased from 11.4% in 2017-18 to 7.2% in 2023-24.

Employment generation coupled with improving employability of all including youth and educated workforce is a priority of Government and is a multi-stakeholder initiative. The various Ministries/ Departments  of  Government  of  India  like  Ministry  of  Micro,  Small  & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing &  Urban  Affairs,  Ministry  of  Finance,  Ministry  of  Textiles,  Ministry  of Electronics and Information Technology etc. are implementing different employment  generation  schemes/  programmes  like  Prime  Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment  and  Training  Institutes  (RSETIs),  Deendayal  Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-Up India, Startup India, National Handicrafts Development Programme etc., which, along with increase in capital expenditure, seeks to boost employment creation. The details of various employment generation schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes\_programmes.

Under the  Government of  India's  Skill  India  Mission  (SIM),  the Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres/ institutes etc. under various schemes across the country including the State of Kerala. The SIM aims at enabling youth of

India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills.

Further,  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment,  Government  of India,  is  running  the  National  Career  Service  (NCS)  Portal  which  is  a one-stop  solution  for  providing  career  related  services  including  jobs from private and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information  on  skill  development  courses,  skill/training  programmes etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in].

The  receipt  of  the  ESIC  claims  and  their  settlement  is  a continuous process. During the year 2023-24, 2,96,535 number of Cash Benefit Payments have been disbursed in the State of Kerala. However, only 2550 number of benefit claims are to be settled as on 28.02.2025 in the State of Kerala because of non-availability of certain documents viz. non - submission of claims or Life Certificate or Bank Account details by  the  Insured  Persons,  non-submission  of  Returns  of  Contribution  by

Employers, etc.

During Financial Year 2024-25, a total of 14,48,174 EPF claims have  been  received  by  the  6  Regional  Offices  in  Kerala  Zone,  out  of which 16,487 claims are pending as on 12.03.2025, constituting 1.14% of total claims. Further, out of these, only 1,792 EPF claims are pending for more than 20 days due lack of required documents.

Setting up and upgradation of bed strength of ESI Hospital is an ongoing process.

ESI Corporation has accorded 'in -principle' approval for setting up of two new 100 bedded ESI hospitals i.e. one each at Perambavoor (District: Ernakulam) and at Kattappana (District: Idukki) based on the request received from State Government of Kerala in order to improve delivery of medical services to ESI beneficiaries.  ESI Corporation has given  approval  for  upgradation  of  ESIC  Hospital,  Udyogmandal,  Dist. Ernakulam from 100 to 150 beds.

Further, super  speciality services like Urology, Cardiology, Nephrology, Oncology, Paediatric Surgery, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology,  Rheumatology,  Neurology  etc.  are  provided  by  ESIC hospitals in Kerala viz Asramam, Udyogmandal and Ezhukone. Services which are not available in-house are provided through tie-up hospitals.

In  order  to  safeguard  the  interests  of  the  migrant  workers  the Central  Government  had  enacted  the  Inter-State  Migrant  Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979. This Act has now been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and the Working  Conditions  (OSH)  Code.  The  OSH  Code  provides  for  decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievance redressal mechanisms, protection  from  abuse  and  exploitation,  enhancement  of  skills  and social security to all categories of workers including migrant workers.

Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched on 26 th  August, 2021 the e-Shram portal which is a National Database of the Unorganised Workers, including migrant workers, seeded with Aadhaar. The portal has been made available to the States/UTs for registration of various  categories  of  unorganized  workers  on  e-Shram  portal.  As  on 04.03.2025,  over  30.68  crore  unorganized  workers,  including  migrant workers, are registered on e-Shram.

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