RAJYA SABHA
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS
2649. SHRI VIVEK K. TANKHA
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has established any relief fund for those labourers/workers who lost their jobs in the pandemic;
(b) whether Government has any concrete policy to increase job/employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers in the country; and
(c) the reasons for Government not providing unemployed citizens with unemployment benefits?
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a) to (c): COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sections of the society including organised/ unorganised workers. Government has taken several initiatives to address the challenges and threats posed by the pandemic. Fiscal stimulus of more than Rs. Twenty seven lakh crore is being provided as part of the Aatmanirbhar financial Package, comprising of various long term schemes/programmes/ policies for making the country self-reliant and to create employment opportunities.
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 new employees under the scheme includes those who have lost their employment during Covid-19 pandemic and didn’t join in any EPF covered establishment upto 30.09.2020.The terminal date for registration of beneficiary under the scheme has been extended from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022.
Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme was launched on June 01, 2020 to provide working capital loan to Street Vendors, vending in urban areas, to resume their businesses, which were hurt adversely due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.
Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), Government of India has contributed both 12% employer’s share and 12% employee’s share under Employees Provident Fund (EPF), totaling 24% of the wage for the wage month from March to August, 2020 for the establishments having upto 100 employees with 90% of such employees earning less than Rs. 15000/-.This has helped in providing employment in EPFO registered establishments during post Covid period.
Government had launched the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) of 125 days on 20th June, 2020 to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for returnee migrant workers and similarly affected persons including youth in rural areas, in 116 selected districts across 6 States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The unemployment benefit under the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana being implemented by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has been enhanced to 50% from 25% of the average wage, payable upto 90 days, alongwith relaxation of eligibility conditions to claim the benefit.
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), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) etc.
Government has increased MGNREGA wage to Rs. 202 a day from Rs. 182 to benefit nearly 13.62 crore families.
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, RBI and Government of India have introduced measures to infuse liquidity in the economy to sustain the market economy and raise the level of employment.
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 and sustainable employment opportunities.