Question : DECLINE IN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

(a) whether employment opportunities in the country have declined due to recession in the economy;

(b) if so, the details thereof during the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether the Group constituted by the Gover- nment for generation of employment opportunities in the country has submitted its report;

(d) if so, the details thereof including the recommendations made in the report and the action taken by the Government thereon; and

(e) the other steps taken by the Government for creating job opportunities in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

(a) & (b): As per the Surveys on Employment and Unemployment conducted by National Sample Survey (NSS) Office, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation during 2009-10 and 2011-12, the estimated employment, as per usual status, has increased from 46.55 crore in 2009-10 to 47.41 crore in 2011-12.

(c) & (d): Government had constituted a Special Group on Targeting One crore Employment Opportu- nities per Year under the Chairmanship of Shri S.P. Gupta, Member, Planning Commission in 2001. The Group recommended that it was possible to increase labour intensities in the economy and to reduce underemployment through well-designed policy and programme interventions which take into account sectoral and regional specificities. The Government had incorporated the recommenda- tions of the Committee in the Tenth Five Year Plan which set out a strategy for creation of 5 crore employment opportunities during the Plan period 2002-2007.

(e): For creation of job opportunities in the country, Government of India is implementing various public employment generation schemes like encouraging private sector of economy, fast tracking various projects involving sub- stantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) run by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guara- ntee Scheme (MGNREGA), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) scheme run by Ministry of Rural Development and National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) run by Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. In addition to the above public employment generation scheme, the Government is promoting labour intensive manufacturing and increasing employment oppor- tunities by promoting tourism and agro-based industries.

In order to improve the employability of youth, 20 Ministries run skill development schemes across 70 sectors. According to the latest data compiled by National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), about 76.37 lakh persons were given skill development training in the year 2013-14 under these schemes.