In New Delhi, on February 12, the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is working to integrate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir into the national mainstream and prevent them from straying, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje stated in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Responding to supplementary questions during the Question Hour, she noted that incidents of stone pelting were common in Jammu and Kashmir in the past, but the Union Territory is now focused on creating employment opportunities.
"For the first time in the country, in the last seven years, new EPFO subscribers have joined, and 1.6 lakh new subscribers have joined in Jammu and Kashmir. This is a significant development in Jammu and Kashmir," she stated.
"We are working under the leadership of the Prime Minister to integrate the people of Jammu and Kashmir into the national mainstream and ensure they stay on the right path," she added.
Karandlaje emphasized that the government's efforts are aimed at bringing the youth of Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream and providing them with new employment opportunities, regardless of the Opposition's views.
"You have often created obstacles, but our goal is to support the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and provide them with new employment opportunities," she said.
The Modi government is implementing various schemes to promote development in Jammu and Kashmir, Karandlaje explained.
"For the first time, Jammu and Kashmir Bank has provided nearly Rs 14,490 crore under the credit guarantee scheme. This is the highest amount provided in the country," she said.
"We have also established nine separate clusters for the manufacture of cricket bats in Jammu and Kashmir," she noted.
"I can share an example: when I met a young woman on a flight, she told me that a prime minister is thinking about the children of Jammu and Kashmir," she added.
Prime Minister Modi was present in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour on Thursday.
The minister stated that the government is focused on formalizing jobs for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, and the EPFO figures demonstrate this. As many as 1.6 lakh people have enrolled in EPFO in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Out of the total 12 crore registrations in the country, 12,297 people have been registered under the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojna. In Jammu and Kashmir, 8.2 lakh units have been registered, and 32.3 lakh people have established units there in the last five years, with the number continuing to grow," she said.
Under the credit guarantee scheme, she said, loans worth Rs 12 lakh crore have been provided to entrepreneurs across the country, and similar loans have been given in Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the PM employment generation scheme, the minister said that nearly 10.5 lakh crore entrepreneurs have been given subsidies worth Rs 29,000 crore and support for one crore units.
In Jammu and Kashmir, she said, 73,349 units are being assisted through subsidies and low-interest loans worth 4,394 crore, including Rs 1,530 crore in subsidies.
Responding to another supplementary question, she stated that under the Prime Minister's Vishwakarma Yojna, "Our goal was to register 30 lakh people in four years, but in just two years, we registered 30 lakh people and provided training to 22 lakh people. We have also provided them with toolkits."
On gig workers, she said that the government has signed agreements with 12 companies, and 25 lakh people are working on online platforms, bringing them under the ESI and EPFO, and the Labour and Employment department is working in this regard and has signed MoUs.
In his written reply to the question on the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya stated that data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18.
"According to the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons aged 15 years and above has decreased from 4.8 per cent in 2019-20 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24 in the country, and from 6.7 per cent to 6.1 per cent during the same period in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Furthermore, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment on usual status for persons aged 15 years and above has increased from 50.9 per cent in 2019-20 to 58.2 per cent in 2023-24 in the country, and from 52.5 per cent to 60.4 per cent during the same period in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," the minister said.
