Unemployment rate in rural India has been steadily rising. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) had reported the unemployment rate as being 7.21 per cent on April 4. A week later, it rose to 9.81 per cent and by April 18, it touched 10.72 per cent.
This is mainly due to the restrictions being imposed by the states in the wake of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. About 50 per cent of the factories in Maharashtra are closed or about to shut down. The week-long lockdown in Delhi has only made matters worse. With cases rising alarmingly and the healthcare system on the brink of collapsing, other states may soon be forced to follow suit, which will naturally impact opportunities of employment further.Also, with small and medium enterprises hit badly, workers have been forced to turn to the agriculture sector for a means of livelihood.
Meanwhile, Haryana’s unemployment rate for 2020-21 stood at 28.1 per cent. The percentage was 22.1 for Goa, 9.4 for Delhi and only 9 per cent for Jammu & Kashmir. Despite the pandemic, Jammu & Kashmir has posted the lowest unemployment rate. The state government has recently posted 200 job openings for the physically challenged. Additionally, a sum of over Rs 12,000 crore has been sanctioned by Jammu & Kashmir government for the districts of the Union Terriroty, for various projects. Instructions have been given to employ only locals for the jobs these projects will generate.
