DIMAPUR — The unemployment rate in Nagaland
has seen a significant decline, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force
Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI).
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Sushri Shobha
Karandlaje, informed that despite reports of a surge in unemployment by over
65% during 2023-24, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate
(UR) data indicate a marked improvement over the years.
Citing the PLFS, Karandlaje said that Nagaland’s WPR for
individuals aged 15 years and above increased from 32.8% in 2017-18 to 68.1% in
2023-24. During the same period, the state’s UR dropped from 21.4% to 7.1%.
The minister, who was responding to an inquiry by Lok Sabha
MP S Supongmeren Jamir, attributed these figures to various employment
generation initiatives being implemented across the country.
While she did not give a direct response on whether the
government has identified factors contributing to this significant increase in
unemployment, she said that employment generation and improving employability are
priorities of the government and a multi-stakeholder initiative.
Karandlaje said that various programmes, such as the Prime
Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen
Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), among others,
are being implemented across the country.
Additionally, the government’s 2024-25 budget announced the
Prime Minister’s package of five schemes targeting 4.1 crore youth over five
years, with a central outlay of INR 2 lakh crore.
This includes the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme,
which is designed to encourage job creation and workforce formalisation through
incentives for both employers and employees, she said.
