Centre has no specific data on unemployment during currency ban
New Delhi: Orissa had witnessed a spurt in number of wage-based jobs when the demonetisation had hit the country in 2016, a number of replies submitted by the Union government in the Parliament claimed.
The Centre said although there is no specific data on employment/unemployment during the currency ban period, government’s figures claim that in 2016 the demand for wage-based works or jobs relating to self-employment saw an increase.
In a written statement submitted before the Lok Sabha December 18, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar said, “There is no data on employment available for the period subsequent to ‘demonetisation’. The employment generation is a key priority of the government.”
Another reply from the same minister gives figures relating to involvement of people in different states under different wage-based schemes and schemes relating to self-employment and skill development. The figures claim that during the demonetisation period, in Orissa more number of people got engaged in schemes like MGNREGS, DDU-GGKY, DAY-NULM while the worker population ratio in the state remained almost similar to that of 2012-13.
The government figures claimed that under the short term wage-based programme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (MGNREGS) in Orissa a total of 212 lakh persondays were created in 2015-16 while in 2016-17 the number notched up to 291 lakh.
Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Grameen Kaushal Yojna (DDU-GKY) in 2016-17 a total of 27, 348 persons got assistance against the 21,411 in 2015-16. Similarly, under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojna-National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) a total of 571 people in the state were benefited in 2014-15 while 6,848 persons got central assistance under this scheme and were given jobs in 2016-17 fiscal.
Meanwhile, the persons who got employment under the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) witnessed a dip as less number of people were given jobs under the scheme in Orissa during the demonetisation year.
Skill development plan falters:
The scheme of skill development under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikash Yojna (PMKVJ) seems to have faltered in the state. As per government’s own submission it could only ensure jobs for 20 per cent of the candidates it trained under the mission in the state. Till December 14 this year, a total of 84,791 were imparted skill development training under the scheme in the state but only 17,353 (20.5%) candidates were placed post training by the government, leaving the 79.5 per cent jobless.
PNN
