Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattatraya, who attended G-20 Labour Ministers Conference in China from July 11 to 13, today said the meeting favored employment generation through decent work, quality jobs, productive employment with adequate social security measures, enhancing employability, creating adequate capabilities in the environment of inclusive growth and so on.
Briefing the media here on Saturday after his return from China, Dattatraya said the meeting also discussed sluggish growth in G-20 Countries in the arena of the real wages, incompatibility in high and low incomes, transforming employment from informal to formal sector. In this context, the Union Minister recalled about India’s Pro-Labour policy of bringing about 4.70 crore unorganized construction workers into organized fold by providing them ESIC, EPFO membership, allotting Rs 6,000 crore for Textiles sector for creating one crore jobs, out of which the female employment should be 75%. He also said the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Protsahan Yojana for creating more jobs in formal sector was also mentioned in the G-20 meet.
About the Labour Market conditions in G-20 countries and their improvement, Dattatraya said under Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana, training and certification of Indian workforce abroad was being done. It was identified that Macro Economic Policies and structural policies to generate job opportunities are essential, he said, adding that India was in the front in this aspect through Financial Inclusion; having 21.87 crore Jandhan Bank accounts with Rs 38,000 crore deposits, 18 crore Rupay Cards and extending Mudra Bank Loans to 3.48 crore unemployed youth involving an amount of Rs 1.33 lakh crore disbursement to the beneficiaries.
“The Direct Benefit Transfer scheme with the collaboration of Indian Finance Ministry was taken as a model in the G-20 meeting. The G-20 Meeting reaffirmed the public-private investment. The Minister mentioned about the P.M. Kaushal Vikas Yojana and creating skills to one million youth in one year by spending Rs 12,000 crore from 2016 to 2020, utilisation of spare infrastructure in the evenings for Skill Development.
Mentioning about the Centre’s initiative in apprenticeship, the Minister said the Centre has sanctioned an increase in strength of Apprentices in the country from 1.9 lakh to 10 lakhs and Centre was paying the stipend. There is a scope of regular employment for at least 85% of total apprentices.
The G-20 countries have discussed on the entrepreneurship action plan also. In this context, Dattatraya recalled India’s efforts in Start Up India, MSME, Stand Up India, simplification and hand holding, fund support and incentives etc. He specially mentioned on the Fund of Funds which led to the financial support for creation of 18 lakh additional jobs. The G-20 meet has also discussed the changes in skill needs and the importance of anticipating the skill needs sufficiently well in advance, skill mismatches and shortages thereto. The Minister recalled India’s initiatives through NCS Portal, Skill India programme, National Skill Qualification frame. He mentioned that NCS Portal is the platform today for 4 Crore Job Seekers, 10 Lakh Job Providers with one Lakh vacancies on the portal.
As per the Skill Gap Study undertaken by National Skill Development Corporation, 11 Crore Skilled manpower is required by 2022 year in 24 key sectors. It was also mentioned that in India, 93% of the total workforce is unorganized with a figure of about 40 crore, who are in informal sector and who would be transformed in phases to formal sector. In this context, eight Regional Vocational Training Institutes are being established in the country with one institute at Hyderabad. Apart from the fresh Skill Training, emphasis was being made on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), Make in India aimed at making India as manufacturing hub. He also mentioned about the boost in investment, FDI of US Dollars 1.3 Billions in one year which is the highest in the world, more than China and United States. (NSS)