Providing employment in rural India is the priority of the Indian government. For this, the government has taken various steps for generating employment in rural India. The efforts include various long-term schemes/ programmes/ policies for creating employment opportunities. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, one of the flagship rural employment schemes, was implemented in 2005 to benefit people in rural India. Here we will write about the employment opportunities for rural India.

A Brief on Rural Employment

When the Rural Employment Generation Program was initiated, it was primarily aimed to provide self-employment opportunities to those rural youth who are struggling to find jobs.

The Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) initiated the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) scheme on April 1, 1995. It began under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, aiming at khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to plan, promote, facilitate, organise and help establish and develop khadi and village industries in rural areas. It has generated lots of jobs for rural people of India. They had almost generated more than two million jobs for candidates.

The government has increased the wage of workers registered under this scheme from INR 7.50 per hank to INR 10 per hank, effectively increasing the monthly income by 33% and 10% for artisans and weavers, respectively.

There are some other rural employment schemes too.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojna (ABRY) - It was launched on October 1, 2020, with the objective of creating new job opportunities for the youths. The scheme specifically provides assistance to employees who lost jobs due to the pandemic. Under ABRY, the government contributes the share of employers (12% of wages) and employees (12% of wages) for two years. All establishments registered with the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and their employees earning less than INR 15,000 per month are eligible for ABRY benefits.

Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) - Operating under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), the scheme was launched on April 1, 2016, to provide jobs to people. Under PMRPY, the government contributes the share of employers (12% of wages) and employees (12% of wages) for three years. All establishments registered with the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and their employees earning less than INR 15,000 per month are eligible for PMRPY benefits.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) - It guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to youths of a rural household. The wage amount differs from one state to another. It ranges from INR 6,000-10,000 per month.

Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs) - It was launched to ensure necessary skill training for rural BPL youth to reduce the unemployment crisis. As per the data available on Press Information Bureau (PIB), the government has released funds worth INR 68,724 lakhs for FY 2022-23.

Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushlya Yojana (DDU-GKY) - This scheme was launched to provide training and employment opportunities to youth in rural India. It is expected to benefit more than 55 million rural youth wanting to be skilled for sustainable employment. The scheme offers support for placement-linked skilling projects in the range of INR 25,696 to more than INR 1 lakh per individual based on the project (residential or non-residential) duration. It offers financial support for various skill training programs across 250+ sectors such as hospitality, retail, electrical, automotive, construction, health, gems and jewellery, etc.

These are the Objectives of Rural Employment

  • While creating job opportunities for rural India, the government aimed for sustainable employment opportunities across rural and urban areas in India. These programmes were launched to offer job opportunities among youth and let them contribute to nation building.
  • To provide job opportunities among rural India, the government gave a provision to establish and generate micro-enterprises, which played an important role in eradicating job problems among rural India. These initiatives helped people find suitable jobs in their nearby areas and prevented them from going to other states to find jobs for livelihood.
  • Sometimes we see that in rural areas, people don't have much capital to invest in their small business. So, the government has taken initiatives for smooth and easy flow of credit to the micro sector by increasing the participation of financial institutions.
  • In rural India, small businesses often face the shortage of raw materials for making final products. So, the government started providing the same to small businesses, helping them stay relevant.

Conclusion

In rural India, people always seek employment. Because these people always lack job opportunities in their areas and need to visit some other areas to seek jobs for their livelihood. The government has taken various steps to alleviate the job crisis in rural India. And they must be appreciated for their employment initiatives. JobsYahan - Bharat ka Job App - Yahan Jobs Milna Hai Sabse Saral - further complements by creating a sustainable employment ecosystem for the Bharat Workforce, including those in rural India. Its vernacular and location-based approach is perfect for rural employment. People residing in rural India can get work near their homes, preventing the pain of having to travel to cities to find work. You just need to login on to JobsYahan website and find suitable jobs for you.