PM sets up task force to formulate credible policies on employment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set up a high-level committee under Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya, to ramp up jobs data so that the government can frame policies to spur employment generation.

The Task Force will recommend solutions which can be implemented in a time bound manner.

“The PM has directed that this task be expedited so that policies on employment can be formulated with a proper appreciation of impacts, based on credible data,” a PMO release said.

In the last Budget session of Parliament, minister of state for planning, Rao Inderjit Singh, admitted that overall unemployment was rising, and the rate was highest among the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The current unemployment rate has gone up to 5% from 3.8% in 2011.

The move assumes importance in the wake of a slowdown in the economy and potential job losses after demonetisation.

The government’s stats office CSO estimated economic growth to slide to 7.1% in 2016-17 from 7.9% in 2015-16.

Modi directed his ministers to come up with a solution to fill this long standing gap in the country’s statistical architecture.

The task force, headed by Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagriya, will comprise labour secretary Sathiyavathy, chief statistician TCA Ananth, Pulak Ghosh of NITI Aayog and Teamlease chief Manish Sabharwal.

At present, jobs data is collected and published by several agencies including the Labour Bureau but is inadequate.

MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING, RAO INDERJIT SINGH, HAD ADMITTED THAT UNEMPLOYMENT WAS RISING, AND WAS HIGHEST AMONG OBCS