Unemployment ratio drastically decline in Tripura, now stands below national average, Minister Tinku Roy

With significant reduction of unemployment ratio of Tripura from 11 percent in the year 2018-19 to 1.4 percent in 2022-23,the present state government has also given its maximum importance to reduce the unemployment rate of the state, said Social Welfare and Social Education minister Tinku Roy said on Tuesday in the last day of budget session of Assembly.

Replying to a reference p[eriod notice raised by MLA , Manab Debbarma and several quarries of opposition MLAs including Congress legislator Gopal Chandra Roy and CPI(M) legislator Dipankar Sen, Minister Tinku Roy told the house that unemployment rate has gone down in the state from 11 percent in 2018-19 to 1.4 percent in 2022-23.

Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy demanded to introduce an unemployment allowance for the registered unemployed youths but the Minister rejected the demand.

 “The unemployment rate in 2018-19 (11 percent) was higher than the national average (8.7 percent). The four subsequent annual unemployment reports suggest that the figures have gone lower than the national average and it is further going down. This proves that scopes of work and income have increased the opportunity of work and employment among the youths of Tripura

The Minister informed the house that in 2018-19, there were 7, 41,305 registered unemployed in Tripura while the figure is 3, 00,029 as on January 31 this year.

Minister Tinku Roy reasoned that government jobs can't be treated as the sole solution of unemployment, not employed in government service be termed unemployed.

He said the government encouraged entrepreneurs with a host of loans, financial scheme benefits like Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swavalamban scheme, Skill India, entrepreneurship support loans, rubber mission loans etc.

Responding to a query from opposition leader Animesh Debbarma about the parameters on which the government decided the unemployment rate, the minister said the parameters were determined by the Union Law Ministry and not the state government.

“These unemployment ratios were revealed from the survey conducted by the central government's labour ministry,” he said.

He explained that the collective efforts and through various government services as well as schemes including Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM) unemployment problems are being resolved.

Minister Roy also said the unemployment rate is even lower in villages of Tripura now, as unemployment in rural Tripura is at 1.1 percent vis-a-vis 3 percent in the urban areas.

On the government employment front, Roy said massive flow of recruitment is continuing despite the government's focus on self-employment and entrepreneurship.

He said that 1980 persons were recruited in different positions like Lower Division Clerks (LDC), Agri Assistant etc through Joint Recruitment Board Tripura (JRBT), interview of 2500 Group D staff was conducted by the Joint Recruitment Board, 6571 candidates recruited through Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) since 2018, 88 Special Educators, 100 Group C and Group D employees, police sub-inspectors, constables.

Two Tripura State Rifles (India Reserve) battalions were created and 1413 youths got jobs in these two battalions while 1015 contractual doctors under the National Health Mission, the minister said adding that contractual employees hired under JICA apart from direct recruitment done through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC).

He said that not only the government jobs and for an alternative income generation, the state government through “ Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission” has created and 47, 600 women self-help-groups (SHGs) and now 4.66 lakh rural women are directly associated with 51, 254 SHGs.

Later, Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy contradicted the minister's statements amidst his speech and said Tripura has 14.3 percent employment rate.

CPI (M) legislator Dipankar Sen cited CMIE reports and said the state has got a 16.3 percent unemployment rate.