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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.*136
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12TH FEBRUARY, 2026
EMPLOYMENT PACKAGE IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR
*136. SHRI CHOWDRY MOHAMMAD RAMZAN :
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has conducted any recent assessment
regarding the number of educated unemployed youth in the Union
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir;
(b) the latest unemployment rate in the Union Territory, as compared
to the national average; and
(c) whether Government is aware that prolonged unemployment
among youth in the Union Territory is contributing to serious social
problems, including drug abuse and crime and whether Government
proposes to introduce a special, region-specific employment
package aimed exclusively at generating sustainable job
opportunities for unemployed youth of the Union Territory?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)
(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
*STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO RAJYA SABHA STARRED
QUESTION NO. *136 DUE FOR REPLY ON 12.02.2026 BY SHRI CHOWDRY
MOHAMMAD RAMZAN, M.P. REGARDING “EMPLOYMENT PACKAGE IN
JAMMU AND KASHMIR”
(a) to (c): The data on Employment and Unemployment is collected
through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted, by the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since
2017-18.
As per the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated
Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and
above has decreased from 4.8% in 2019-20 to 3.2% in 2023-24 in the
country and 6.7% to 6.1% during the same period in the Union Territory
of Jammu and Kashmir.
Further, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating
employment on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has
increased from 50.9% in 2019-20 to 58.2% in 2023-24 in the country and
52.5% to 60.4% during the same period in the Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir.
Further, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for
persons of age 15 years and above of different general education level
during 2019-20 and 2023-24 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
is as follows:
Unemployment Rate (in %)
General Education Level 2019-20 2023-24
Literate & Upto Primary 0.4 0.6
Middle 2.5 2.2
Secondary 5.2 2.3
Higher Secondary 14.6 10.7
Secondary & above 14.6 12.7
Source: PLFS, MoSPI
The above data shows that the Unemployment Rate for different
general education level has also decreased over the years in the Union
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. State/UT-wise information is available
in the PLFS reports which may be seen at the website of MoSPI at
https://www.mospi.gov.in/publications-reports .Employment generation coupled with improving employability
(including for youth of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir) is a priority
of the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various
employment generation schemes/ programmes in the country. The
details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being
implemented by the Government may be seen at
https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes.
Government is also implementing Skill India Mission (SIM) to
deliver skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of
skill development centres/ schools/ colleges /institutes etc. under
various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),
Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion
Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial
Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth
of India (including for youth of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir) to
get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has
initiated ‘FutureSkills PRIME’ a programme for Re-skilling/Up-skilling of
IT Manpower for Employability in 10 new/emerging technologies
including Artificial Intelligence.
The Ministry of Tourism undertakes a range of promotional
activities to promote tourism both internationally and domestically,
including Jammu & Kashmir. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, a
total of six projects were sanctioned in Jammu & Kashmir during 2016–
17 under the Himalayan Circuit, with an approved cost of ₹519.58 crore.
All these projects are physically completed. The Ministry has further
revamped the scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, shifting the focus from
circuit-based development to the development of sustainable tourism
destinations. These initiatives have led to an increase in tourist footfall
and local employment.
Government is implementing Employment Linked Incentive (ELI)
Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to
support employment generation, enhance employability and social
security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing
sector. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 Crore aims to incentivize
the creation of more than 3.5 Crore jobs in the country, over a period of
2 years.Further, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India,
is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop
solution for providing career related services including jobs from private
and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job
search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information
on skill development courses, skill/training programmes etc. through a
digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in].
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