(a) whether the Government has conducted any survey regarding the prevalent unemployment
rates among the rural youth of the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-Wise;
(c) the steps taken by the Government to increase employment opportunities in rural areasin the country;and
(d) the success achieved by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI HARISH RAWAT)
(a) & (b) Reliable estimates of employment and unemployment are obtained through quinquennial labour force
surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Organization. Last such survey was conducted during 2004-05.
As per latest survey report, number of unemployed youth in the rural areas in the age group of 15-29 was
estimated at 7.95 million on usual status basis during 2004-05. State-wise details of unemployment rate
in rural areas of the unemployed youth on usual status basis are annexed.
(c) & (d) Government of India has been implementing various Employment Generation and Poverty Alleviation
Programmes to generate additional employment opportunities. Some of the important one are: Swaranjayanti
Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). These programmes primarily aim at providing more opportunities for
employment generation in rural areas of the country.