Labour Force Indicators Providing Evidence of Improved Employment Scenario in India

India Employment Report, 2024 of Institute for Human Development (IHD) – International Labour Organisation (ILO) mentioned that in ILO’s Global Report Trends for Youth, 2022, the worldwide youth unemployment rate was 15.6 per cent in 2021. Further, as per World Employment and Social Outlook Trends, 2024 by ILO, globally, in 2023, the youth unemployment rate was 13.3 per cent.

The official data source of Employment/ Unemployment indicator in India at present is the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is July to June of the next year. As per the latest available Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years in the country in the year 2023-24 was 10.2% which is lower than global levels. Further, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for youth indicating employment has increased from 31.4% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24.

Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) Payroll Data gives an idea of the level of employment in the formal sector. More than 1.3 crore net subscribers joined EPFO during 2023-24. Moreover, during September 2017 to August, 2024, more than 7.03 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO, indicating increase in formalisation of employment. 

All the labour force indicators are providing evidence of improved employment scenario in the country.

Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Accordingly, the Government of India has taken various steps for generating employment in the country.

The various Ministries/ Departments of Government of India like Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textile, etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes/ programmes 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), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), etc. The details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes.

SKILL INDIA DIGITAL AND TO IMPROVE EMPLOYABILITY OF YOUTH

 Under the Skill India Mission (SIM), the Government delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres/institutes , under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills.

Following specific steps have been taken to align the training programs to market needs and improve the employability of trainees:

  1. The training programmes offered under the schemes of MSDE are developed in collaboration with industries, keeping in view market demands. 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) which are mandated to identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.
  2. Future ready job-roles addressing the requirement of Industry 4.0, emerging sectors like Drone, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Mechatronics, etc., have been prioritized under PMKVY 4.0. Under CTS also, new age courses have been developed to meet the demand of futuristic job roles in emerging technologies.
  3. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space.
  4. The Awarding Bodies recognised by NCVET are expected to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupation, 2015, of Ministry of Labour and Employment and obtain industry validations.
  5. Directorate General of Training (DGT) is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST). These initiatives are meant to provide training to ITI students in industrial environment.
  6. Courses aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) also have components of On Job Training (OJT) and employability skills.
  7. DGT has also signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Future Skill Rights Network (erstwhile Quest Alliance), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
  8. NSDC, under the Market led program, provides support to training providers that collaborate and align skill courses with industry demand.
  9. Under NAPS, apprenticeship training and increasing engagement with industrial establishments for undertaking apprenticeship programmes is promoted.
  10. Government of India has signed Migration and Mobility Agreement with ten countries viz., U.K.; France, Germany, Israel, Taiwan, Austria, Mauritius, Australia, Portugal and Finland for aligning skilling with demand in these countries.
  11. Government of India has announced setting up of 30 Skill India International Centers for catering to the demand for skilled workers for foreign countries.

Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) plays a crucial role in preparing the Indian workforce for Industry 4.0 by offering futuristic courses on Big Data, Machine Learning and Analytics, etc. provided by its digital learning partners. Industry 4.0 course such as Python with Advanced AI, Artificial Intelligence Foundation, Generative AI, Build Classical Machine Learning Models with Supervised Learning, Data Analytics Essentials, Analytics Data in a Relational Data Warehouse, Cyber security Essentials, Introduction to Data Science, Kisan Drone Operator, EV Service Technician, Bio- waste Management, along with other certification courses, are being offered on the platform.

The Number of Centers under the schemes of MSDE in Pali district of Rajasthan are as under:

Name of Scheme

No. of Training Centers

PMKVY

9

NAPS

28*

CTS (ITIs)

17

*No. of Establishments

Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) is at the intersection of two of the most important priorities of the Government – Skill India and Digital India. It is a mobile – first digital platform designed to synergize India’s skill development, education, employment and entrepreneurship landscape. Its primary objective is to expand the reach of skilling and provide opportunity to youth of the country to skill, re-skill and upskill digitally without depending only upon physical training infrastructure. It provides a comprehensive and accessible platform for skill enhancement, offering industry- relevant skill courses, apprenticeship and job opportunities, and entrepreneurship support. SIDH is a digital expansion of skilling opportunities and integrated platform that have digital job exchange between stakeholders. The SIDH platform and its mobile application were launched in September 2023.

SIDH is designed on the principles of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for skill development, education, employment, and entrepreneurship landscape. It is a citizen-centric platform that empowers every citizen to select and learn skill courses aligned to their knowledge and interests. It helps to select skill courses aligned with the education and career goals and hosts both online and classroom-based skill courses. SIDH is integrated with UIDAI, e-Shram, NCS and Digilocker, empowering learners to earn, bank and redeem the credits they have earned through skill courses and / or through work experience. SIDH caters diverse needs of a citizen through Learning Management System for digital skilling, Portable Verified Credentials and Multi-lingual choice to ensure inclusivity, etc. It also enables the convergence of skilling program for all Ministries/ Departments of Central Government and of the State Governments, empowering every citizen to select from multiple skilling programs as per their preference.

Rebuttal to Citigroup's Research Report on Employment in India

 The recent research report by Citigroup on Employment in India quoted by some of the print and electronic media, which forecasts that India will struggle to create sufficient employment opportunities even with a 7% growth rate, fails to account for the comprehensive and positive employment data available from official sources such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and the Reserve Bank of India’s KLEMS data. Therefore, the Ministry of Labour and Employment strongly rebuts such reports which do not analyse all official data sources available in the public domain.

Employment Data for India

According to PLFS and RBI’s KLEMS data, India has generated more than 8 crore (80 million) employment opportunities from 2017-18 to 2021-22. This translates to an average of over 2 crore (20 million) employment per year, despite of the fact that the world economy was hit by COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-21 which contradicts Citigroup’s assertion of India’s inability to generate sufficient employment. This significant employment creation demonstrates the effectiveness of various government initiatives aimed at boosting employment across sectors.

PLFS data

The Annual PLFS report depicts an improving trend in labour market indicators related to: (i) Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), (ii) Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and (iii) Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons of age 15 years and above during 2017-18 to 2022-23. For instance, the WPR i.e. employment has increased from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 56% in 2022-23. Similarly, the labour force participation has also increased in the country from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 57.9% in 2022-23. The Unemployment Rate has declined from 6.0 % in 2017-18 to a low of 3.2% in 2022-23.

The PLFS data shows that during the last 5 years, more employment opportunities have been generated compared to the number of people joining the labour force, resulting in a consistent reduction in the unemployment rate. This is a clear indicator of the positive impact of government policies on employment. Contrary to the report, which suggests a dire employment scenario, the official data reveals a more optimistic picture of the Indian job market.

EPFO Data

The formal sector employment figures are also being bolstered by government efforts to improve ease of doing business, enhance skill development, and provide incentives for job creation in both the public and private sectors. The EPFO data suggests that more and more workers are joining formal jobs. During 2023-24, more than 1.3 crore subscribers joined EPFO which is more than double compared to 61.12 lakh joined EPFO during 2018-19. Moreover, during last six and half years (since September, 2017 to March, 2024) more than 6.2 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO.

New subscribers to NPS

The data from National Pension System (NPS) indicates that more than 7.75 lakh new subscribers have joined the NPS during 2023-24 under the Central and State governments which is 30% more than 5.94 lakh new subscribers joining NPS under government sector during 2022-23. This substantial increase in new subscribers highlights the government’s proactive measures to fill-up the vacancies in public sector in timely manner.

Flexi-staffing sector

In a recent interaction of Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) members with Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, ISF members informed that they are employing about 5.4 million formal contract workers. Nearly 30% demand in the sector remains unfulfilled at frontline across manufacturing, retail, banking due to talent shortages and labour mobility. 

Multiple new opportunities

The future prospects of the employment market in India are highly encouraging, as evidenced by data from various sources. The Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India have shown remarkable growth in recent years. The gig economy also promises significant increase in workforce in the country. Notably, the NITI Aayog report on gig economy projects a substantial increase in platform workers, which is expected to reach 2.35 crore (23.5 million) by 2029-30, underscoring the rapid expansion of the gig economy. The gig workers are expected to form 6.7% of the non-agricultural workforce or 4.1% of the total livelihood in India by 2029-30. These developments collectively reflect India’s robust economic trajectory and its potential to generate diverse employment opportunities.

Data Credibility

It is well known that the private data sources, which the report/media refers to as more reliable, has several shortcomings. These surveys use their own derived definition of employment – unemployment which is not aligned to either national or international standards. The sample distribution and methodology are often critiqued for not being as robust or representative as official data sources like PLFS. Therefore, reliance on such private data sources over official statistics can lead to misleading conclusions and thus, should be used with caution.

Further, some authors use data selectively which undermines the credibility of their analysis and does not present an accurate picture of the employment scenario in India. Such reports fail to consider the positive trends and comprehensive data from official sources.

Summary

The official data sources like PLFS, RBI, EPFO, etc. show consistent improvements in the key labour market indicators, including increased Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and a declining Unemployment Rate during last five years. EPFO and NPS data further support the positive employment trends. The trends in manufacturing, expanding service sector, infrastructure growth, apart from others, including emerging opportunities in multiple sectors such as gig and platform economy and GCCs indicate robust future prospects.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment emphasizes the credibility and comprehensiveness of official data, cautioning against the selective use of private data sources that can lead to misleading conclusions about India’s employment scenario.

The Government remains committed to creating a robust and inclusive job market, and the evidence suggests substantial progress is being made in this direction.

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Assam Rozgar Mela

 Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated the youth and their families who were recruited for government jobs in the Government of Assam. He recalled his visit to the state last month on the occasion of Bihu and said that the memory of the grand event which was a symbol of the glorification of Assamese culture, is still fresh in his mind. He noted that today’s Rozgar Mela is a reflection of the seriousness towards the future of the youth in Assam. Even before this, the Prime Minister said, more than 40 thousand youths have been given government jobs through the Rozgar Mela in Assam. He informed that appointment letters have been handed over to about 45 thousand youths today and wished a bright future for the youth.

“Assam is witnessing a new era of peace and development and this pace of development has spread positivity and inspiration in Assam.”, the Prime Minister said. Reflecting on the processes initiated by the Government of Assam to make government recruitment more transparent, the Prime Minister touched upon the ‘Assam Direct Recruitment Commission’ that has been formed to carry out the recruitment process in various departments. He mentioned that many recruitments could not be completed on time due to the earlier process where each department had different rules and the candidates had to appear for different examinations for different departments. He stated that all these processes have now been made very easy, and congratulated the Assam Government for this feat.

“All of us have taken a pledge to make our country a developed nation in the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal”, the Prime Minister remarked as he stressed that the next 25 years of Amrit Kaal are as important as Seva Kaal. Underlining the importance of the appointees’ behavior, thinking, approach to work, and impact on the public, the Prime Minister emphasized that the new appointees will be the face of the Assam Government for every common citizen. He mentioned that society is becoming aspirational and no citizen wants to wait for development. “In this era of Twenty20 cricket, the people of the country want quick results”, Shri Modi said as he highlighted the need for government systems to transform themselves accordingly. He underlined the responsibilities of  Government employees in fulfilling the aspirations of the citizens of the country. The Prime Minister urged the appointees to move forward with the same dedication that brought them here and stressed that they can contribute to improving society and the system by being open to learning new things.

The Prime Minister underlined that lakhs of crores of rupees are being spent on modernizing India’s infrastructure at a very fast pace and gave examples of new highways and expressways, railway lines, ports, airports and waterways, these projects. He mentioned that employment and self-employment opportunities are getting a boost in every sector with every new infrastructure project. He gave the example of the requirement of engineers, technicians, accountants, laborers, and various types of equipment, steel and cement for the development of an airport. He also mentioned that employment opportunities are being created by the expansion of railway lines and their electrification. He touched upon the emphasis towards ease of living and stated that since 2014, the government has constructed about 4 crore pucca houses with facilities like toilets, gas connections, tapped water supply and electricity, and handed them to the poor. He lauded the contributions of the manufacturing sector, logistics, skilled workers and laborers who put effort into building these houses and arranging these facilities. The Prime Minister also highlighted the role played by Ayushman Bharat Yojana in employment generation and mentioned that many new hospitals and clinics have been established in the country. Shri Modi also recalled the privilege of dedicating AIIMS Guwahati and 3 Medical Colleges a few weeks ago. Dental colleges have also expanded in Assam in the last few years, he added.  Due to this, the Prime Minister said, employment opportunities have been created for the youth associated with the medical profession.

“Today, youth are moving forward in many such sectors which no one could have imagined ten years ago”, the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the startup ecosystem that has helped in creating lakhs of direct and indirect jobs in the country. He also mentioned the growing demand for drones in agriculture, social events, survey and defence sectors and said that it has created new opportunities for the youth.  The Prime Minister also touched upon the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign which is contributing towards India’s growth by manufacturing crores of mobile phones in India.  Referring to the expanding broadband connectivity that is reaching every village, the Prime Minister said that it has encouraged employment and self-employment on a large scale. Shri Modi underlined that just one plan or one decision can impact the lives of people.

Crediting the policies of the present government, the Prime Minister underlined that a large number of youths from the North East are coming into the mainstream of development. “The Government is committed to fulfilling the dreams of the youth by giving new opportunities for employment and self-employment. We are also taking rapid steps towards building a new India”, the Prime Minister concluded.

*****

DS/TS


Employment opportunities increasing in the country

Increasing employment opportunities in a country can result from various factors and initiatives aimed at stimulating economic growth, fostering entrepreneurship, and addressing labor market demands. Here are several ways employment opportunities can expand within a country:

  1. Economic Growth: A growing economy often leads to increased job creation across various sectors. Industries experiencing growth, such as technology, healthcare, renewable energy, and infrastructure, tend to offer more job opportunities.

  2. Government Initiatives: Government policies and programs focused on job creation, skill development, and entrepreneurship can significantly impact employment. Subsidies, incentives, and investments in key sectors can spur job growth.

  3. Entrepreneurship and Small Business Support: Encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through funding, mentorship, and favorable policies can lead to job creation as these businesses expand.

  4. Investment in Infrastructure: Infrastructure development projects like construction, transportation, and urban development often create jobs directly and indirectly across multiple sectors.

  5. Technology and Innovation: Advancements in technology can create new industries and job roles. The digital economy, including fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data analytics, offers numerous employment opportunities.

  6. Skilling and Education Programs: Investing in education and vocational training aligned with market demands can equip individuals with the skills needed for available job opportunities, reducing unemployment rates.

  7. Supporting Industries with High Labor Demand: Sectors such as healthcare, education, green energy, and information technology often have a high demand for skilled workers, leading to job creation.

  8. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Attracting FDI can lead to the establishment of new businesses and industries, which can contribute to job growth within a country.

  9. Rural Development Initiatives: Initiatives aimed at rural development, agriculture modernization, and diversification can create employment opportunities in rural areas, reducing migration to urban centers.

  10. Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborations between government and private sectors to develop projects and initiatives can lead to employment opportunities while enhancing infrastructure and services.

Efforts to enhance employment opportunities often require a multi-pronged approach, including economic policies, educational reforms, targeted investments, and fostering an environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship. Successful employment generation strategies are typically tailored to a country’s specific socio-economic context and needs.

What is machine learning?

Today’s digital world
relies heavily on our ability to build intelligent and smart systems by
deploying artificial intelligence successfully. One of the applications of AI
is Machine Learning which supports systems and enables them to learn and
improve from experience. It focuses on developing programs that can access data
and use it to draw decisions without being programmed as such. In the growing
field of data science, machine learning has tremendous applications. By using
statistical methods, programmers write algorithms and train them to classify
data and make predictions. It is used to uncover deep data insights and use
them to drive decisions. Machine Learning has a growing impact on global
business applications and with greater impact, comes a greater scope for job
opportunities in this field.

How does machine learning work?

According to UC
Berkley, the algorithm of a machine learning model that enables the system to
make predictions is divided into three parts

1. A Decision
Process –
Making predictions
or classifying data is the first step of a machine learning model. Depending on
what data we input, it is possible to label it by producing an estimate about
patterns in data and how closely they are related to something that the model
has seen before.

2. An Error
Function –
It serves to
evaluate the accuracy of the model by checking if the prediction is correct.

3. An Model
Optimization Process –
In
order to fit the machine learning model to the data points used in the training
set, we can adjust the weights to get rid of the inconsistency in the
predictions. The algorithm is trained such that it will repeat this process to
optimize the model.

Applications of machine learning

There are numerous
applications of machine learning including:

1. Speech recognition
This model is used in
converting speech to text and visa-versa and uses a natural language process to
process speech into a written format. A common example of this is included in
many mobile phones to perform a voice search. For e.g. Siri, Alexa, etc.

2. Customer Service
With the introduction of
online chatbots, the services have improved across businesses. Redundant tasks
are recognized and replaced with bots to provide a better and seamless flow to
users. They answer all frequently asked questions and take the place of a
virtual assistant to make our lives easier.

3. Computer Vision
The advancement of AI
technology has led programmers to derive useful information from digital
images, assets, videos, and visual inputs. Computer vision helps in taking the
action based on the inputs and is powered by convolutional neural networks.
This technology is being used in computer vision applications such as photo
tagging, radiology imaging, etc.

Best Machine Learning courses in the
market

1. Google AI – ML
Crash Course

2. Coursera – Machine
Learning with Python

3. Coursera – Deep
Learning Specialization

4. EdX – Machine
Learning

5. Fast.ai –
Introduction to Machine Learning for Coders

6. Coursera – Advanced
Machine Learning Specialization

7. Udemy – Machine
Learning

8. Udacity – Machine
Learning for Beginners

 

What is Make in India?

When it comes to
manufacturing a product or mass producing it, the go-to country for foreign
investors and companies looking to establish manufacturing and assembling plants
is “China”. China is the major competitor India has when it comes to
outsourcing and manufacturing business, but china was still favorable due to
ease of doing business and low manufacturing costs. India’s ailing
infrastructure, the bureaucratic approach adopted by the former government,
defunct logistics, lack of a proper transportation network, and widespread
corruption were the main reasons why companies found it difficult to do
business in India. These were the reasons
why the Modi government launched the ‘Make in India’ campaign to help transform
India into a manufacturing hub.

 

The Make in India Vision

The Manufacturing sector
in India accounts for around 16% of the GDP. The campaign aims to bring this
number to around 25% of total GDP contribution and also to generate employment
opportunities and attract foreign investors along the way to help transform
India into the number 1 manufacturing hub in the world.

Inspired by the
‘Ashoka Chakra’, the logo for the make in India campaign is a Lion and the
prime minister decided to dedicate the campaign to
Pandit
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya born in 1916 on the same date.

 

Main objectives of this initiative

1) To increase the
growth rate of our manufacturing sector to 12-14% per annum

2) To increase the
total GDP contributions of the manufacturing sector from 16% to 25%

3) To create around
100 million job opportunities in the manufacturing sector alone.

4) One of the
objectives was to improve India’s rank in the ease of doing business index by
the World Bank.

5) To improve India’s
export-led growth

6) To attract foreign
investments and develop the industrial base in order to surpass china.

 

Challenges faced by the government

1.     
Shell
companies: –
shell companies
are a major problem as they account for the majority of the FDI inflow and are suspected
to be investing their black money.

2.     
Productivity:
low productivity of the
manufacturing sector, as well as the skilled labor force, is highly
insufficient. On average the Indian workforce is almost four to five times less
productive when compared to china or Thailand.

3.     
Small
Industries:-
small size of our
industrial units was also a challenge as they fail to meet desired economies of
scale. Due to their small size, they cannot afford to invest in modern machinery
and develop their supply chains.

4.     
Complicated
labor laws: –
complexity of
our labor laws for companies with more than 100 employees which requires
special approval to lay off their employees was also one of the main reasons.

5.     
Electricity:-
even though the per unit cost
of electricity is practically the same in India and China, India experiences
far more outages which can cause delays in meeting the demand.

6.     
Transportation:– the average speed in India is 60km/h which is
far less than china’s 100km/h speed. What India lacks in speed it overcomes in
terms of overloading trucks and having one of the best ports.

 

AGNIPATH SCHEME

On 14 June 2022, the central government launched the Agnipath scheme which is a recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. With this scheme, the central government hopes to fulfill the dream of an individual to join the armed forces and serve the nation. Various other reasons for the government to start this scheme were to reduce salaries and defence pension bill, to increase employment opportunities and higher skilled work force and to provide a youthful profile to the armed forces. One of the important reasons was also to have a large number of military trained and disciplined people in the society. The soldiers recruited through this scheme will be known as ‘AGNIVEERS’.

Under this scheme 45,000 to 50,000 youth aged between 17.5 to 21 years will be recruited annually for 4 years in the Navy, Air force & Armed forces. Enrollment will be based on an ‘All India All Class’ basis. The enrolment of the Agniveers to all the three services will be through a centralized online system, with special rallies and campus interviews at recognized technical institutes such as the National skills Qualifications framework, Industrial Training Institutes. In each batch, 25% of Engineers will be chosen for the permanent cadre in the armed services. The remaining 75% of Agniveers will receive an amount of Rs. 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi Package.

The salary per month of the Agniveers is Rs. 30,000 in 1st year, Rs. 33,00 in 2nd year, Rs. 36,500 in 3rd year and Rs. 40,000 in 4th year but the Agniveers contribution to Seva Nidhi will be 30% which means 30% will be deducted from the initial salary which means in hand they will receive 21,000 in first year, 23,100 in second year, 25,580 in third year and 28,000 in fourth year.

The Agniveers will also receive a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs. 48 lakh during the period.

Every demolished AGNIVEER will have a 10% reservation in CAPFs, Assam Rifle recruitment. They are also provided with the Upper age relaxation beyond the prescribed age limit for AGNIVEERS in CAPF & Assam Rifles. Other benefits include:

  • Priority in bank loan schemes in case they want to be entrepreneurs.
  • Many other states including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have stated that agniveers will be given priority in the recruitment of state police officers.
  • Some major companies and sectors like IT, Engineering Security, etc. have also announced that they will prefer hiring skilled, trained, and disciplined Agniveers.
  • It also stated that all those wishing to study further class 12 equivalent certificate and Bridging Course of choice for further studies.

The Upper age limit for recruitment has also increased only for 2022 under the Agnipath scheme to 23 years from 21 years for the first year of the scheme for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force.

AIM OF THE SCHEME

  • One of the important aims of the scheme is to make the army a future-ready fighting force with the youth of the nation capable of meeting multiple challenges.
  • To strengthen the national security
  • To provide the youth of the nation to serve the country.
  • To cut down salary and pension bills.
  • To harness the youth potential and make them future ready soldiers.
  • They will be provided with certificates and bridge courses that will help in creating future entrepreneurs.

CRITICISM OF THE SCHEMES

After the announcement of this scheme, there were several protests held throughout the country in several states. Students from throughout the country held riots, burned trains, and caused severe damage to the public as well as private properties. This scheme is criticized on a number of basis such as:

  • The service period that is 4 years is very less and it will provide employment for just 4 years. T
  • he real skills cannot be acquired in such a short period and what about those who want to serve the nation for longer terms.
  • only 25% of the candidates will be taken permanently and the rest 75% will again be unemployed.
  • No pension will be given to these candidates that will be appointed during this scheme.
  • The candidates that will be selected will only be selected for non-commissioned ranks like Naik, Sepoy, and Lance Naik.
  • The recruitment is only for candidates of 17.5 – 23 years of age.
  • After 4 years is over, there will be no job security.
  • Unlike other governments’ jobs no extra basic benefits will be provided to the candidates.
  • The salary will also be deducted for the Seva Nidhi contribution.

With the provided advantages and disadvantages of this AGNIPATH scheme it is way forward for a reform in the Defence policy. This schemes aims to increase employment opportunities with skills and training, to give a better opportunity to the youth who choose to serve the nation and it hopes to have a positive impact on the human resouces management of armed forces and for the country’s development.

Sources: https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/agnipath-defence-policy-reforms/

EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON INDIAN SOCIETY

Globalization has many meaning depending on the circumstance and on the individual who is talking about. There is one of the term of Globalization is a process of the “reconfiguration of geography, so that social space is not entirely mapped in terms of territorial distance, territorial places and territorial borders.” The simple term of globalization refers to the integration of economies of the world through uninhibited trade and financial flows, as also through mutual exchange of technology and knowledge. Ideally, it also contains free inter country movement of labor.

Indian society drastically changes after urbanization and globalization. The economic policies has direct influence in forming the basic framework of the Indian economy. The government shaped administrative policies which aim to promote business opportunities in every country, generate employment and attract global investment. In which the Indian economy witnessed an impact on its culture and introduction to other societies and their norms brought various changes to the culture of this country as well. The developed countries have been trying to pursue developing countries to liberalize the trade and allow more flexibility in business policies to provide equal opportunities to multinational firms in their domestic market. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank helped them in this endeavor. Liberalization began to hold its foot on barren lands of developing countries like India by means of reduction in excise duties on electronic goods in a fixed time Frame.

Globalization has several aspects and can be political, cultural, social, and economic, out of Financial integration is the most common aspect. India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and has been predicted to reach the top three in the next decade. India’s massive economic growth is largely due to globalization which was a transformation that didn’t occur until the 1990s. Since then, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has grown at an exponential rate.

Indian government did the same and liberalized the trade and investment due to the pressure from the World Trade Organization. Import duties were cut down phase-wise to allow MNC’s operate in India on an equal basis. As a result globalization has brought to India new technologies, new products and also the economic opportunities.

Despite bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure and an ambiguous policy framework that adversely impact MNCs operating in India, MNCs are looking at India in a big way, and are making huge investments to set up R&D centres in the country. India has made a lead over other growing economies for IT, business processing, and R&D investments. There have been both positive and negative impacts of globalisation on social and cultural values in India.

Economic Impact:

1. Greater Number of Jobs: The advent of foreign companies led to the growth in the economy which led to creating job opportunities. However, these jobs are concentrated in the various services sectors and led to rapid growth of the service sector creating problems for individuals with low levels of education. The last decade came to be known for its jobless growth as job creation was not proportionate to the level of economic growth.

2. More choice to consumers: Globalisation has led to having more choices in the consumer products market. There is a range of choices in selecting goods unlike the times where there were just a couple of manufacturers.

3. Higher Disposable Incomes: People in cities working in high paying jobs have greater income to spend on lifestyle goods. There’s been an increase in the demand for products like meat, egg, pulses, organic food as a result. It has also led to protein inflation.

Protein food inflation contributes a large part to the food inflation in India. It is evident from the rising prices of pulses and animal proteins in the form of eggs, milk and meat. With an improvement standard of living and rising income level, the food habits of people changed. People tend toward taking more protein intensive foods. This shift in dietary pattern, along with rising population results in an overwhelming demand for protein rich food, which the supply side could not meet. Thus resulting in a demand supply mismatch thereby, causing inflation.

In India, the Green Revolution and other technological advancements have primarily focused on enhancing cereals productivity and pulses and oilseeds have traditionally been neglected.

Shrinking Agricultural Sector: Agriculture now contributes only about 15% to GDP. The international norms imposed by WTO and other multilateral organizations have reduced government support for agriculture. Greater integration of global commodities markets leads to constant fluctuation in prices.

• This has increased the vulnerability of Indian farmers. Farmers are also increasingly dependent on seeds and fertilisers sold by the MNCs.

Globalization does not have any positive impact on agriculture. On the contrary, it has few detrimental effects as the government is always willing to import food grains, sugar etc. Whenever there is a price increase of these commodities.

• Government never thinks to pay more to farmers so that they produce more food grains but resorts to imports. On the other hand, subsidies are declining so the cost of production is increasing. Even farms producing fertilizers have to suffer due to imports. There are also threats like introduction of GM crops, herbicide resistant crops etc.

Increasing Health-Care costs: Greater interconnections of the world have also led to the increasing susceptibility to diseases. Whether it is the bird-flu virus or Ebola, the diseases have taken a global turn, spreading far and wide. This results in greater investment in the healthcare system to fight such diseases.

Child Labor: Despite prohibition of child labors by the Indian constitution, over 60 to a 115 million children in India work. While most rural child workers are agricultural laborer’s, urban children work in manufacturing, processing, servicing and repairs. Globalization most directly exploits an estimated 300,000 Indian children who work in India’s hand-knotted carpet industry, which exports over $300 million worth of goods a year. The many effects of globalization of Indian society and has immense multiple aspects on Indian trade, finance, and cultural system. Globalization is associated with rapid changes and significant human societies. The movement of people from rural to urban areas has accelerated, and the growth of cities in the developing world especially is linked to substandard living for many.

Sources: https://www.clearias.com/effects-globalization-indian-society/

MGNREGA-The most important scheme of our government?

Inrtoduction

On 23rd August 2005, the Government of India launched a scheme that would prove to be one of the most sophisticated moves the then leadership would make. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (later renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employee Guarantee Act) was passed to guarantee the citizens their “Right to Work”.What would later prove to be a major success in the field of rural employment, the bill was one a lot of people were apprehensive of. India is a country where even the smartest of engineers are unemployed, and the conditions in rural areas are worse. This is a direct consequence of poor job security, availability, and restrictive labor laws. But the MGNREGA aims to eradicate this lineage of poverty.

Why MGNREGA?

The act was first proposed in 1991 by our then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. After thorough scrutiny of the program, it was finally launched in 2005, covering 625 districts of India. The statute was praised as”the largest and most ambitious social security and public works program in the world”.In its World Development Report of 2014, the World Bank applauded it as a “stellar example of rural development”.But why was this scheme needed? According to tons of surveys and reports by the various governments of India, between 1980 and 2005, the number of unemployed persons in India steadily increased from around 7.8 million in 1983 to 12.3 million in 2004–5. Not only this, but several media organizations claim that “there is unanimity amongst scholars that the organized manufacturing sector [in India] registered “jobless growth” during 1980-81 to 1990-91”. Such deplorable conditions of our workers were sought to be amended by this act.

Objectives of the program

The key objective of the program is increasing the working days of a daily-wage worker to at least 100 per year, to one or more members of a family, willing to do unskilled work. In its early years, NREGA was claimed to be “making a difference to the lives of the rural poor, slowly but surely.”
Improving the negotiating power of labor who were incessantly exploited was one of the major objectives of the program. The key benefit of the scheme hangs on the reduction of wage volatility.
Another important aim of the program is parity between men and women working similar jobs. This highlights the importance of women’s empowerment through paid jobs and entitled compensations.
Another problem faced is that of water shortage in rural India. With water bodies shrinking, the sources of irrigation for farmers seem to be depleting. In a report covering the timeline of the last decade, it was found that almost half of the funds were directed towards solving this critical problem. Our country relies on agriculture for a large part of its economy, and any hindrance to its fruitful growth could simply not be tolerated.

Achievements of the program so far

Some of the many achievements of MGNREGA include providing a standard livelihood to the women of India, employing the people critically affected by Demonetization and GST, and benefitting the agricultural sector immensely.According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), this scheme has played a vital role in reducing poverty among the poor as well as the socially weaker sections (Dalits, tribals, and marginal farmers).

This program has indeed proved to be a boon for the Indian youth and is the epitome of the fine implementation ability of our democracy.

Urban MGNREGA Propgramme to provide employment

 The data on employment/ unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. As per the latest PLFS report of 2019-20, the unemployment rate for persons of 15 years and above on usual status basis in urban areas was 6.9% which was 7.6% in 2018-19 and 7.7% in 2017-18.

Government has launched All-India Quarterly Establishment Based Employment Survey (AQEES) in April, 2021. As per the result of the second round of Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) for the period July to September 2021, employment increased to 3.10 crore in the nine selected sectors of the economy which was 3.08 crore during the first round of QES (April-June, 2021) against a total of 2.37 crores in these sectors taken collectively, as reported in the sixth Economic Census (2013-14). Of the total employment estimated in the selected nine sectors, Manufacturing accounted for nearly 39%, followed by Education with 22% and Health as well as IT/BPOs sectors both around 10%. Trade and Transport sectors engaged 5.3% and 4.6% of the total estimated workers respectively.

Employment opportunities in Drone sector

 As per Drone Rules, 2021, any person who intends to obtain the authorisation to establish a Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) shall submit an application to the Director General of Civil Aviation in Form D5 on the Digital Sky Platform, along with the specified fees. As on 31 December 2021, nine remote pilot training organisations have been set up by entities under Government or private ownership. The State-wise list of RPTOs is attached as Annexure –I.

Any person between 18-65 years of age and with a class tenth certificate from a recognised Board can obtain a remote pilot licence after successful completion of training from authorised remote pilot training organisation. Students passing out of drone schools can look for employment opportunities in drone operations, maintenance, design, manufacturing and data analytics, etc. depending on the courses successfully completed by them.

An authorised remote pilot training organisation is free to have collaboration with foreign entities while ensuring strict compliance with the requirements specified by the Director General of Civil Aviation in respect of training syllabus, infrastructure, instructors, equipment and infrastructure etc.

Annexure- I

State-wise list of remote pilot training organisations

 

S No

State

Name of the remote pilot training organisation

1

Jharkhand

Alchemist Aviation Pvt. Ltd.

2

Maharashtra

Redbird Flight Training Academy Pvt. Ltd.

3

Maharashtra

The Bombay Flying Club

4

Tamil Nadu

CASR Anna University

5

Telangana

Flytech Aviation Academy

6

Telangana

Telangana State Aviation Academy

7

Uttar Pradesh

Ambitions Flying Club Pvt. Ltd.

8

Uttar Pradesh

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademy

9

Uttar Pradesh

Pioneer Flying Academy Pvt. Ltd.

Job Creation

Getting job is like climbing Mount Everest nowadays. If you are employed you have achieved they greatest hight in your life.

But here we are not going to take about the problems we face for like population explosion etc in getting employment, instead we are going to take about the solutions for it.

Some solutions

  • Encouraging people to do startups : this is the first and foremost step to increase job creation as if one do startup then automatically job creation begins and economic gets and boost.
  • Is in getting loans for startups : the banks should make the process of getting the loans for startup much easier as to encourage people to do it.
  • Improvement in academic curriculum : there should be improvement in academic curriculum as 2 to encourage the young mind to do their own startup.
  • Making foreign investment easier : the process for the multinational companies to invest in India should be eased up, by reducing unnecessary paper works and Taxes.
  • Increase in living standards : if the living standard of the general citizen of the country increases it automatically increases their needs like car, expensive gadgets etc, and to fulfill these needs more companies will bi setup and ultimately increases the employment.
  • Policy to control population growth : government should introduce policy that encourages people to have less children and ultimately getting a control on the population.

There can be many more ways to create employment. Everybody should contribute their ideas in what ways India can achieve full employment of their people, to get rid of this problem. These were some solutions from my side.

India and her Handlooms

Indian handloom industry saw a reduction in 30% of its trade in the year 2020. This means that the already struggling industry will see further cut in costs. There is an urgent need to innovate new ways to market the goods it produces. The modern state of India still has one of the largest employed workforce in the textile sector, and a large part of it is the handloom industry – which is mostly worked in by the artisans who are either poor or are working hard to preserve their traditional way of manufacturing clothes and designs. For India presents a rainbow in manufacturing methods – right from the famous Benarasi Saree to the now almost extinct methods of making silk and woolen garments in the remote hills of Ladakh and Kashmir.

Cotton has been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for over 3000 years. And that is probably also the age of a rich tradition of fabric making. With the advent of the bronze age through the influx of Greco-Roman, Mongol, Iranian, Vedic and Afghan cultures into the modern age of Mughals, Marathas, British and later the republic of India and her neighbours – the Indian textile industry has seen a plethora of changes and demand.

Shah Jahan Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline
Queen of royal India - SSK Art Gallery - Paintings & Prints, Ethnic,  Cultural, & Tribal, Asian & Indian, Indian - ArtPal
From dhotis and sarees to kurtas and Salwars – India has seen a plethora of changes in its clothing culture.
India's handloom export declined by 30% within a year: Text Min statistics
Social enterprises looking at innovative ways to revive handloom sector  post-lockdown - The Economic Times

Handloom has a great symbolic importance to India. For it was the first Industry that stood as a symbol of self-reliance during the British Raj resistance period, a rhetoric the current Indian Prime Minister used in his Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. After all, if it were not for Indian fabric – the famed Muslins and Pashminas and Indian spices – the British would have had to search for other reasons to come and settle in a land so very far away from their motherland.

Cherishing the charkha | Indian Link
Gandhi used handloom as a symbol of self reliance

7th August marks the National Handloom day – a day dedicated to an industry that is rapidly finding itself in a stage where only the ones who are super-nationalist and the rich opting for it. Handloom products are often costly than the cheap produce of the machines that invaded the textile industry 200 years ago, effectively ushering in the Industrial Revolution in the 17th century England.

Back to India, here is a list of some famous Indian handloom industries and the cities in which they are concentrated.

  1. Varanasi – The famed Banaras Silk sari is the prized possession of many north Indian women as that is the standard sari of the bride in marriages in households that can afford them. And yet, the Benarasi artists are increasingly been replaced by machines that are producing cheaper saris though with reduced finesse. To add to it is the Zamdani works on cotton fabric, quite endemic to the city.
  2. Jaipur – Jaipur and its handloom industry have the royal family of Jaipur as its patrons. There are establishments and shops that were opened by the last Rajmata of the city, Gayatri Deviji to promote local industries. To add to that is the already existing tradition of Bandhni, Zari and Patti works.
  3. Surat – One of the oldest textile industries that were spotted and used by the local rulers and the British alike. The silk industry in Surat is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
  4. Kota – The tuition capital of the country is also home to the Kota Doria, Gotta Patti and the Kota weave artisans.
  5. Lucknow – The city has an industry that keeps alive the times when nawabs ruled over the city of Lucknow, the then capital of the Awadh state. Most famous of its local weaves is the Chikankari work.
  6. Bhadohi – The small town is only 40km from Varanasi and has been the centre of Indo-Persian carpet work since the era of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and has the largest carpet making industry in the country.

Well, there are many more of such cities and villages when one researches about them. Many of the ingenious art forms that are involved in making clothes are dying with less than 50 families left that carry forward the tradition. The sad part – machines cannot replicate that finesse. Such is the case of the wool and silk industry in the Gharwal and Kashmir valleys.

After the pandemic or even during it, let us and our government support this remnant of our history, our art, our tradition and a symbol of first instance of our modern industrial self reliance.

Gig Economy

What Is the Gig Economy?

In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers  instead of full-time employees. A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who often focus on their career development.

Understanding the Gig Economy

In a gig economy, large numbers of people work in part-time or temporary positions or as independent contractors. The result of a gig economy is cheaper, more efficient services, such as Uber or Airbnb, for those willing to use them. People who don’t use technological services such as the Internet may be left behind by the benefits of the gig economy. Cities tend to have the most highly developed services and are the most entrenched in the gig economy. A wide variety of positions fall into the category of a gig. The work can range from driving for Lyft or delivering food to writing code or freelance articles. Adjunct and part-time professors, for example, are contracted employees as opposed to tenure-track or tenured professors. Colleges and universities can cut costs and match professors to their academic needs by hiring more adjunct and part-time professors.

The Factors Behind a Gig Economy

America is well on its way to establishing a gig economy, and estimates show as much as a third of the working population is already in some gig capacity. Experts expect this working number to rise, as these types of positions facilitate independent contracting work, with many of them not requiring a freelancer to come into an office. Gig workers are much more likely to be part-time workers and to work from home. Employers also have a wider range of applicants to choose from because they don’t have to hire someone based on their proximity. Additionally, computers have developed to the point that they can either take the place of the jobs people previously had or allow people to work just as efficiently from home as they could in person.

Economic reasons also factor into the development of a gig economy. Employers who cannot afford to hire full-time employees to do all the work that needs to be done will often hire part-time or temporary employees to take care of busier times or specific projects. On the employee’s side of the equation, people often find they need to move or take multiple positions to afford the lifestyle they want. It’s also common to change careers many times throughout a lifetime, so the gig economy can be viewed as a reflection of this occurring on a large scale.

During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, the gig economy has experienced significant increases as gig workers have delivered necessities to home-bound consumers, and those whose jobs have been eliminated have turned to part-time and contract work for income. Employers will need to plan for changes to the world of work, including the gig economy, when the pandemic has ended.

Criticisms of the Gig Economy

Despite its benefits, there are some downsides to the gig economy. While not all employers are inclined to hire contracted employees, the gig economy trend can make it harder for full-time employees to develop in their careers since temporary employees are often cheaper to hire and more flexible in their availability. Workers who prefer a traditional career path and the stability and security that come with it are being crowded out in some industries.

For some workers, the flexibility of working gigs can actually disrupt the work-life balance, sleep patterns, and activities of daily life. Flexibility in a gig economy often means that workers have to make themselves available any time gigs come up, regardless of their other needs, and must always be on the hunt for the next gig. Competition for gigs has increased during the pandemic, too. And unemployment insurance usually doesn’t cover gig workers who can’t find employment.

In effect, workers in a gig economy are more like entrepreneurs than traditional workers. While this may mean greater freedom of choice for the individual worker, it also means that the security of a steady job with regular pay, benefits—including a retirement account—and a daily routine that has characterized work for generations are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

Lastly, because of the fluid nature of gig economy transactions and relationships, long-term relationships between workers, employers, clients, and vendors can erode. This can eliminate the benefits that flow from building long-term trust, customary practice, and familiarity with clients and employers. It could also discourage investment in relationship-specific assets that would otherwise be profitable to pursue since no party has an incentive to invest significantly in a relationship that only lasts until the next gig comes along.