News Analysis India

Tag: unemployment

  • 23L jobs lost in 3 months of first Covid lockdown

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Nearly 23 lakh persons (16 lakh men, 7 lakh women) lost jobs in the top nine sectors during the first three months of Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment provided in Parliament on Thursday showed that the number of male employees before the lockdown (March 25, 2020) in nine sectors was 2.17 crore, which came down to 2.01 crore on July 1. The number of women employees reduced by nearly 7 lakh, from 90 lakh to 83.3 lakh during the same period.

    The ministry said this data pertains to nine sectors including manufacturing, construction, health, education, trade, transport and others. The manufacturing sector has the maximum number of employees. Nearly 1.25 crore persons were associated with this sector before the lockdown.

    The Labour Bureau has been entrusted with the task of conducting a Quarterly Employment Survey as a part of the All India Quarterly Establishment Based Employment Survey (AQEES). The Quarterly Employment Survey conducted during the first quarter (April-May, 2021) was designed to collect information on the impact of the pandemic on the operational and employment status of the establishments in the nine sectors, said the ministry.

    The government has been cornered by the Opposition on the issues of unemployment in the last few weeks. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the government on this and cited a survey in support of his argument.

    The government is providing fiscal stimulus of more than Rs 27 lakh crore as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat financial package comprising various long-term schemes/programmes/policies for making the country self reliant and to create employment opportunities.

    Fiscal stimulus of  Rs 27 lakh crore: GovtGiven the massive losses due to the pandemic, the Centre informed the House that it  is providing fiscal stimulus of more than Rs 27 lakh crore as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat financial package comprising various long-term schemes, programmes, policies for making the country self-reliant and to create employment opportunities in the country.

  • Higher education stagnated in India, 48% engineers unemployed: NITI Aayog V-C

    By Express News Service

    HYDERABAD: Stating that about 45 per cent of management and 48 per cent of engineering students in the country are unemployed, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Thursday stressed on advan-cement in higher education, specifically in management colleges. 

    Addressing the ‘Higher Education Dialogue’, a virtual event organised by Indian School of Business (ISB), Dr Kumar expressed concern on the decreasing strength in higher education in the country. He said that higher education institutions have registered only 37 per cent strength. Dr Kumar said that higher education is stagnant in the country and consequently, institutions like ISB and IIM are also suffering from low enrolment. 

    Stressing on the quality of education, he said that management colleges should start job oriented courses like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Robotics etc to meet the industry needs.Emphasizing the need to understand the industry needs, Dr Kumar said that institutions should also adopt flexible courses, on the lines of US, UK, Japan and some European countries that keep upgrading themselves. He said that the Centre has introduced National Educational Policy to improve enrolments and is expecting good results from it.

    Stressing over the research and development Dr Kumar said that India spends only 0.8 per cent of its budget on R&D annually, resulting in the country lagging far behind in innovation, while countries like South Korea spends 4.5 per cent of their budgets and are masters in R&D. 

    Emphasising that all management institutions must come together, he said that collaboration between multiple institutions will produce good results and collaborating with the other institutions will help enhance the quality of education among the students. 

  • AAP launches campaign over lack of jobs in Goa

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday started a campaign against unemployment in Goa and asked people to not vote for parties that have failed to provide jobs.

    Launching the campaign, AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the biggest issue impacting youth of Goa was a job crisis and the Pramod Sawant government had failed to address it.

    In March this year, Goa reported the third highest unemployment rate in the country at 21.1 per cent, a 6 per cent increase in six months, Chadha said.

    “The only people in Goa who get jobs are relatives and friends of politicians.

    Ordinary Goans who are qualified are unable to get jobs unless they beg in front of their MLAs,” the AAP leader claimed.

  • Modi government harmful for employment: Rahul hits out at BJP

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre on Friday over the reported rise in the unemployment rate in the country in August, alleging that the Narendra Modi government is “harmful for employment”.

    Taking to Twitter, Gandhi posted the screenshot of a media report that cited data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) to claim that over 15 lakh people in the country lost their jobs in August.

    “The Modi government is harmful for employment. It does not promote or support any kind of business or employment not belonging to friends and instead is trying to snatch jobs from those who have them,” the former Congress chief alleged.

    A pretense of self-reliance is expected from the people of the country, he said in his tweet in Hindi, adding, “issued in public interest”.

    The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the country’s economy and flagging concerns over job losses, demanding corrective measures to boost employment.

    The government has dismissed the opposition party’s criticism and rebutted all allegations.

  • Illegal to restrain unvaccinated people from earning livelihood: Manipur HC

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Manipur High Court has held that restraining people, who are yet to get jabbed, from earning a livelihood is an illegal act of the State.

    “Restraining people, who are yet to get vaccinated from opening institutions, organizations, factories, shops, etc., or denying them their livelihood by linking their employment, be it NREGA job cardholders or workers in government or private projects, to their getting vaccinated would be illegal on the part of the State, if not unconstitutional,” a two-judge bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Kh. Nobin Singh ruled.

    Such a measure would also trample upon the freedom of an individual to get vaccinated or choose not to do so, the bench said.

    The court was hearing a PIL that challenged a notification of the state’s Home Department which said the government proposed to relax curfew/containment zone orders in the future in a calibrated manner by assessing the Covid infection scenario.

    The notification said while opening up, the government, without compromising public health safety, considered it prudent to prioritize opening of institutions, organizations, factories, shops, markets, private offices, etc., where employees and workers were Covid vaccinated. The government further stated that this would also apply to NREGA job cardholders and workers of government/private projects.

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    The court, however, observed that the “prescriptions” appeared to make vaccination mandatory as they favour those who are vaccinated, not only in terms of prioritizing the opening up of their institutions, organizations, etc. but also by linking vaccination as a condition precedent for employment of NREGA job cardholders and workers in government and private projects.

    “…The objective of the government is to ensure a degree of immunity in the people, at least to the extent of preventing dire consequences, if infected. However, the ground reality is that there is abounding ignorance amongst the people as to the side effects, if any, of the vaccination and in consequence, apprehensions of the risks that may ensue upon being vaccinated,” the court said.

    It further said that it is for the state government to dispel such fears by educating people on the advantages of vaccination and erase their apprehension on the adverse consequences of getting vaccinated.

    “Without addressing this issue, the State cannot seek to impose conditions upon the citizens so as to compel them to get vaccinated, be it by holding out a threat or by putting them at a disadvantage for failing to get vaccinated,” the court said.

    Additional Advocate General, who represented the state government, told the court the impugned notification was merely an expression of intention by the government on what it proposed to do once relaxation of curfew/containment zone orders are resorted to.

  • Educated unemployed people hold BJP, Congress governments responsible for their plight: Mayawati

    The BSP considers the BJP and the Congress, which ruled the country and a number of states for a long time, equally responsible for creating such a dreadful situation, Mayawati said.

  • The picture of the district changed in just two and a half years

    The district which was once identified due to malnutrition, unemployment, illiteracy and fear of Naxalites, has changed its picture in just two and a half years. New winds of development and trust are flowing in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. The dark clouds of fear are coming off, and the rays of peace are reaching far-flung areas.
    Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has placed the development of Sukma district at the top of his list of priorities, that is why this district is being developed with a new vision for the last two and a half years. The strategy of development of the district was redesigned by assessing the aspirations of the local people, their needs, problems and challenges, in which participation of the local people has been ensured. Now the villagers live happy, healthy and educated lives in the villages here. In the district where the rate of malnutrition has decreased in the last two and a half years, there has been an increase in the level of education and improvement in health facilities.

  • Fighting pandemic priority of new Bengal govt, focus also on job creation, says Minister Firhad Hakim

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is the priority of the new government in West Bengal, state minister Firhad Hakim said, maintaining that the focus would also be on creating more jobs, infrastructure and retaining the top spot in the agriculture sector.

    Hakim, a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said the new government would work to fulfil the promises made in the interim state Budget ahead of the elections.

    “The priority is on handling the COVID situation. Thereafter, the focus will be on creating more employment opportunities and building new infrastructures that were announced by Didi (Banerjee) in her last Budget,” Hakim told PTI in an interview.

    “One of our priorities will also be retaining the state’s top position in the agriculture sector. I think, these are the main challenges,” he added.

    ALSO READ: Mamata urges PM to waive taxes, duties on medical equipment, drugs

    Hakim, who holds the Transport and Housing portfolios in the new government besides heading the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has announced a slew of initiatives in tackling the pandemic over the last few weeks.

    Among those are setting up new safe homes and oxygen parlours.

    “We are now fighting a big battle against the coronavirus. We have to bring the healthcare system of the state back on track. It was derailed by the frequent visits of the Union ministers and outsiders during the elections,” he said.

    “We are fighting day in and day out, and I am sure that our government will be in a very comfortable position to handle all the issues,” he said.

    Hakim, 62, won the elections from the Port seat with a massive margin of 68,302 votes.

    “Frankly speaking, I did not expect winning with such a huge margin. I was sure that Didi was coming back to power with the two-third majority but this was beyond my imagination,” he said.

    Hakim said that he would do his best to carry out the responsibilities of the new departments — Transport and Housing.

    “I am with Mamata Banerjee and she is the pride of my life. I can even die for Didi. I will do my level best to carry out the responsibilities she gave me,” he said.

  • Unemployment persisted even six months after lockdown: Report

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Unemployment persisted for six months after the lockdown which led to a decline in income level, showed Hunger Watch Report by Right to Food Campaign and Centre for Equity Studies.Over 27 per cent of the households surveyed showed there was no source of income even six months after the lockdown was imposed, according to the survey. This was a marginal improvement from the fact that about 43 per cent of the respondents had no income in April-May as per the survey. Out of those who had no income in April-May, only about 3 per cent had gone back to income levels of what it was before lockdown, while 56 per cent of them continued to have no income in October. 

    In the report, the data related to 3,994 households across 11 states. According to the report, marginalised and excluded communities are over-represented. Seventy-nine per cent of the respondents had income less than Rs 7,000 per month before the lockdown. The data indicated a significant fall in consumption of food grains, pulses, vegetables, and eggs/meat. The report observed a steep rise in unemployment, and, as a corollary, a sharp fall in incomes. The respondents were also asked about the change in the overall nutritional quality and the overall quantity of food consumption in October compared to the baseline reference period.

    According to the report, the impact of the lockdown on some vulnerable groups such as households headed by single women, households with people having disabilities, and transgender people was harsher. Overall, about 71 per cent reported that the intake of nutritious food became worse. Among 79 per cent transgenders, and other sexual minorities, income reduced by half or a quarter. The survey also showed that urban respondents reported at least 15 percentage point worse condition than the rural counterparts.

  • Deja vu in Bengaluru: 2 homebound MP migrants walk 600 km to Belagavi

    By Express News Service
    BELAGAVI: Two migrant workers, employed by a private civil contractor as centring workers on a construction site in Bengaluru, walked 600-km on railway tracks from Bengaluru to Belagavi on their way home in Madhya Pradesh.

    The duo —  Pawan Dhurve, a resident of Azwar Rayat and Funde Mithusingh Lal from Kundwari (Both in Dindori district) — fears that they would have to suffer the similar crisis which the migrant workers faced last year due to the Covid crisis.

    A gateman at the railway gate near Gandhi Nagar in Belagavi stopped them when he found them walking on the railway tracks on Thursday. Tired and exhausted, the two had decided to walk to their hometowns via Maharashtra on the railway tracks. The duo had lost their jobs after the death of their employer and was unpaid for some days. The duo did not have money to buy a train ticket.

    The two were extremely scared of the worsening situation in Bengaluru due to the outbreak of Covid second wave and therefore, decided to walk to MP along the railway tracks from Bengaluru. They did not have any hope of getting any work in the Covid-ravaged Bengaluru either.

    According to them, they left Bengaluru with the hope to reach MP on foot and decided to go along the railway tracks. On reaching the railway gate near Gandhi Nagar in Belagavi, they met the railway department gateman there who asked them where they were going.

    The gateman Umesh Aptekar said the two asked him whether the railway tracks lead to Pune. On knowing that they were in deep trouble and ready to walk to MP, Aptekar offered them food and water, and immediately contacted activists Ravi Nirmalkar, Sachin Kelvekar Raju Mutkekar, and Shubhak Shelke, all from Belagavi, who not only arranged food and a room for their stay but also bought train tickets for them to ensure their safe journey back home.

    The two daily-wagers left for MP by Goa Express on Thursday thanking all the activists from Belagavi who came to their rescue on time.