Question

Answer in brief:

What are the measures undertaken by our government to solve the problem of unemployment?

Answer 1

Unemployment refers to a situation where a person who is willing to work on ging wages is not able to find a job.

The government has a vital role to play in employment generation in the country. In fact, it must persevere to increase the employment levels of the country. In light of this, governments in the past have acted to deal with unemployment in India.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was passed in 2005. The NREGA seeks to provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural households willing to perform unskilled manual work. It makes special provisions for women and for the distance within which the job must be available to job-seekers for convenience.

State and federal governments, over the years, have played a key role in enacting other social security programmes, providing unemployment allowances and conducting training programmes and encouraging on-the-job training to absorb more skilled labour into jobs.

The government has also strived to provide direct employment in government departments and offices at various positions and levels. It also helps in indirect employment through the production of goods and services that aid the ability of the private sector to invite more job applicants and create opportunities.

One of the main allied objectives of these policy programmes is the idea of poverty alleviation, with other emphases on health, nutrition, a standard of living, education, road-building, infrastructure and rural development.