Question : Unemployment Data Released by NSSO

(a) whether according to a report by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Rural Unemployment Recorded a 45-year-high and also, consumption expenditure of rural families fell over 9 per cent between 2012 to 2020 period;

(b) if so, the reasons thereof and the action taken by the Government with Budgetary allocation and spending since 2016; and

(c) whether the Government is having any proposal to generate employment and combat the post-covid unemployment scenario of rural India and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING
(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a): This Ministry has launched a new regular employment-unemployment survey, namely, Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) during 2017-18 with certain changes in survey methodology, data collection mechanism and sampling design vis-à-vis the earlier quinquennial (once in every five years) Employment and Unemployment surveys of NSSO. The PLFS was launched with an objective of measuring quarterly changes of various labour market statistical indicators in urban areas as well as generating the annual estimates of these indicators for rural and urban areas.

Rural Unemployment rate (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) from past Employment and Unemployment surveys conducted during 1972-73 to 2011-12 and Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted during 2017-18 and 2018-19 are given in the Table below:

All India
Round Rural
(year) Male Female
(1) (2) (3)
PLFS (2018-19) 5.6 3.5
PLFS (2017-18) 5.8 3.8
68th (2011-12) 1.7 1.7
66th (2009-10) 1.6 1.6
61st (2004-05) 1.6 1.8
55th (1999-00) 1.7 1.0
50th (1993 94) 1.4 0.9
43rd (1987 88) 1.8 2.4
38th (1983) 1.4 0.7
32nd (1977 78) 1.3 2.0
27th (1972 73) 1.2 0.5

Source:
1. Annual Report, PLFS: 2017-18
2. Annual Report, PLFS: 2018-19

(Note: For comparability, the results of the PLFS need to be understood in the context with which the survey methodology and sample selection has been designed)


Also, the Household Consumer Expenditure Surveys conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) (erstwhile NSSO), generate estimates of household Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) and provide distribution of households and persons over the MPCE classes. These surveys are designed to collect information regarding expenditure on consumption of goods and services consumed by households. The Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) in rural areas from Household Consumer Expenditure Survey conducted during 2011-12 is 1429.96. (Source: NSS Report No. 555: Level and Pattern of Consumer Expenditure, 2011-12)

(b) & (c): The Government of India is undertaking a number of interventions for integrated and sustainable rural development through employment generation, strengthening of livelihood opportunities, promoting self-employment, skilling of rural youths, provision of social assistance, infrastructure development etc. The schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), DeenDayal Upadhyay – Gramin Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY), Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RuRBAN Mission, National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) among others are being implemented in the country.

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