(a) whether the female employment rate has fallen down during the last ten years;
(b) if so, the details and the reasons therefor along with the steps taken by Government to increase female employment rate across the country;
(c) whether the Government has issued any directives to the Public and Private organizations to prioritize the opportunity to female in the Job and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the number of females out of jobs across the country at present, State/UTwise?
MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)
(a) to (d): Estimates of employment and unemployment are obtained through labour force surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. In addition, Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment conducts Employment-Unemployment Surveys annually.
As per results of the most recent labour force surveys conducted by NSSO, the estimated female Worker Population Ratio (%) on usual status basis in the country during 2009-10 and 2011-12 are 26.6% and 23.7% respectively.
As per the last three rounds of Annual Employment –Unemployment (EUS) Surveys conducted by Labour Bureau in the year 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16, the Worker Population Ratio for Female aged 15 years & above according to Usual Status basis are 25.0%, 29.6% and 25.8% respectively. State/UT-wise details are annexed.
Government has taken various steps for increasing employment including female employment like encouraging private sector of economy, fast tracking various projects involving substantial 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 Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) schemes run by Ministry of Rural Development and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) run by Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), a special rebate of 0.25% is extended to women borrowers. Almost 75% loans (9.02 crore out of total 12.27 crore sanctioned loan as on 31st March, 2018) given under the MUDRA scheme, have been given to women entrepreneurs.
Ministry of Labour and Employment has targeted the issue by taking various steps to increase female labour participation rate which includes the enactment of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 which provides for enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks and provisions for mandatory crèche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees; issue of an advisory to the States under the Factories Act, 1948 for permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers for same work or work of similar nature without any discrimination. Further, under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the wages fixed by the appropriate Government are equally applicable to both male and female workers and the Act does not discriminate on the basis of gender.
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