(a) whether the State of Jharkhand has witnessed an increase in unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(c) the details of the remedial measures taken by the Government of Jharkhand to curtail unemployment; and
(d) whether the proposed measures will lead to eliminating the alarming increase?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a) & (b): The data on employment/ unemployment is being collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MOSPI) since 2017-18.
As per the results of annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted during 2018-19 and 2019-20, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and the estimated unemployment rate for persons of 15 years and above on usual status basis in the country and in the state of Jharkhand is as under:
(in percentage )
Year 2018-19 2019-20
WPR UR WPR UR
All India 47.3 5.8 50.9 4.8
Jharkhand 44.9 5.2 53.6 4.2
WPR-Worker Population Ratio
UR- Unemployment Rate
(c) & (d): As per the information received from the Government of Jharkhand, in order to provide employment opportunities to the local youth in coordination with the private sector employers within the State and outside the State, the list of unemployed youth available in the database of the employment offices was made available online by the state Government so that, the employers could select the youth as per their requirement.
Government of India has also taken a number of initiatives for promoting employment generation in the country. Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) has been launched w.e.f. 1st October, 2020 to incentivize employers for creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of employment. The terminal date for registration of beneficiary under the scheme has been extended from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022.
PM- SVANidhi Scheme has facilitated collateral free working capital loan upto Rs.10,000/- for one-year tenure to street vendors, to help them resume their businesses during the post Covid period.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is being implemented by the Government inter alia, for facilitating self-employment. Under PMMY collateral free loans upto Rs. 10 lakh, are extended to micro/small business enterprises and to individuals to enable them to setup or expand their business activities.
In addition, to enhance the employment generation, Government is encouraging various projects involving substantial investment and through public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) run by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), respectively.
Besides these initiatives, flagship programmes of the Government such as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All, Infrastructure development and Industrial corridors and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme have the potential to generate productive employment opportunities.
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