India’s unemployment rate lowest in G20 bloc: Minister

India’s unemployment rate of 2 per cent according to World Economic Forum was the lowest among G20 nations, Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.

The minister highlighted how employment generation had taken place across sectors in tandem with India’s rapid economic growth and underlined the schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), that had contributed towards the same.

He was addressing a gathering at the signing of MoUs between the ministry and digital mentorship platform ‘Mentor Together’ and classifieds online site ‘Quikr’ for enhancing employment opportunities as well as youth employability on the NCS portal.

He said these partnerships would make suitable employment opportunities as well as structured mentoring available to jobseekers, particularly in light of PM-VBRY coming into effect in August this year. Under PM-VBRY, Rs 99,446 crore is allocated towards incentivising the creation of over 3.5 crore jobs in two years, of which 1.92 crore will benefit first-time entrants to the workforce.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said NCS had emerged as India’s premier platform for digital employment facilitation, offering job matching, counselling and skilling at one place. The partnership with Mentor Together was expected to reach 2 lakh youth in its first year, including 1 lakh from NCS and 1 lakh PM-VBRY entrants, delivering personalised career mentoring with city and district-level outreach, so that no jobseeker was left behind, she added.