A job is one of the most critical needs of the youth in the country. Looking to cater to their requirements is the government, which has a number of schemes going to generate jobs. Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the government, which has taken various steps to generate employment in the country by encouraging private sector of economy, fast-tracking various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on several schemes, said Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. The key highlights of Gangwar's reply are:  

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1. According to the Minister, these schemes include Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deendyal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).

2. Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) has been launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment for incentivising employers for promoting employment generation. Under this scheme, government is paying entire employer’s contribution (12% or as admissible) towards EPF and EPS for all eligible new employees for all sectors for 3 years.

3. The goverment also initiated Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) for facilitating self-employment. Under PMMY, collateral free loans upto Rs 10 lakh, are extended to micro/small business enterprises and to individuals to enable them to setup or expand their business activities.

4. Government has implemented the National Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises a digital portal that provides a nation-wide online platform for the job seekers and employers for job-matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content to job seekers.

5. Start-up India is another a flagship initiative of the government to build a strong ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of start-up businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

6. The minister said that besides these initiatives, other flagship programmes including Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All, Infrastructure development and Industrial corridors have the potential to generate productive employment opportunities. 

7. According to Santosh Kumar Gangwar, ministries/ departments/ states run skill development schemes across various sectors to improve the employability of youth besides facilitating placements. Schemes such as the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) wherein the government reimburses 25 per cent of the stipend payable to apprentices also enhances employability of the youth to access employment.