Job Data: Govt Looks to Junk NSSO Report, Use Mudra Scheme Survey

Labour ministry has been asked to show data for direct and spin-off jobs created as result of Mudra scheme

The government has faced a lot of flak for reports suggesting rise in unemployment.

(Photo: The Quint)

The government is reportedly looking to discard National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) report on unemployment and use the Labour Bureau’s survey of the Mudra scheme instead.

In a report, The Indian Express said the Niti Aayog has asked the Labour Ministry to present the survey’s findings by 27 February.

The ministry has reportedly been asked to show data for direct employment and jobs created by spin-off as a result of availing the Mudra scheme.

The development attains significance as the Modi-led government has been facing flak on being unable to create enough jobs. The sixth employment-unemployment survey of the Labour Bureau showed unemployment rising to a four-year high of 3.9 percent in in 2016-17.

Late last month, Business Standard reported that the unemployment rate had zoomed to a 45-year high of 6.1 percent during 2017-18, according to the NSSO’s periodic labour force survey (PLFS).

Now, the government wants to take into account the Mudra survey which covers 1 lakh beneficiaries of the loan scheme, the report says.

The report also says that there is a difference of opinion between the ministry and Niti Aayog over the modalities of the survey.

While the Niti wants the survey findings to be extrapolated over the 15.56 crore beneficiaries of the scheme, the ministry wants it be done over 10.5 crore beneficiaries, as the former figure reportedly has “double or triple counting of loans.”

The ministry is also of the opinion that the number also includes people who have moved to self-employment from jobs, thus effectively not creating new employment, the report says.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)