Job situation dismal, MSc Mathematics student gets sweeper’s post: DMK leader A Raja in Lok Sabha

An MSc Mathematics student is getting job of a sweeper at the Madras Municipal Corporation, a Lok Sabha member said on Monday as he sought to know steps taken by the government to deal with the unemployment situation.

During the Question Hour, DMK leader A Raja also mentioned that a person who is a mechanical engineer and a MBA is getting job of a 'Khalasi' job in railways.

'Khalasi' is generally a helper.

Many Opposition members asked supplementaries related to the employment situation in the country when the House took up a question on 'Registerd Unemployment Persons'.

While mentioning that unemployment rate is at a 45-year- high, Raja said that a MSc Mathematics student from the Madras University is getting a sweeper's post in the Madras Municipal Corporation.

Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said there are various central government schemes for employment and steps are being taken to tackle unemployment.

Congress member Adoor Prakash wanted to know whether there is a large increase in the number of registered unemployed persons in the country.

"... the number of job seekers, all of whom may not necessarily be unemployed, registered on live register of employment exchanges in the country to the extent available were 4.35 crore, 4.34 crore and 4.24 crore during 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively," Gangwar said in a written reply.

The minister gave details based on information received from states and Union Territories.

In April 2016, the Labour Bureau initiated Revamped Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) by extending scope and coverage with the objective of measure relative change in employment situation over successive quarters in sizeable segment of non-farm industrial economy covering eight sectors.

These sectors are manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, education, health, accommodation and restaurants and IT/BPO having 10 or more workers.

Gangwar also said there has been a "total positive change in employment from April 2016 to October 2017 to the tune of 6.16 lakh workers in the selected eight sectors of the economy," he said.