The Tripura Minister for Social Welfare and Social Education, Tinku Roy reported a decrease in the state’s unemployment rate to 1.4% from July 2022 to June 2023, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey.
He said, “As of March 2018, the number of unemployed individuals registered at the state’s employment centers was 7,41,305. However, as of November 30, 2023, the number of youth of the State registered as job seekers in the National Career Service Portal has reduced to 2,79,251”.
He underscored, unemployment remains a significant challenge not only in Tripura but across the nation. Recognizing this issue, the current state government has been proactive in continuing the recruitment process across various government departments.
During a discussion on a Private Member’s Resolution titled “State government should take steps to fill up all the vacancies in all departments to resolve the acute unemployment problem in the state” on the last day of the winter session of the State Assembly on Thursday, Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy highlighted the government’s efforts. The proposal was brought forth by CPIM MLA Sailendra Chandra Nath.
Minister Roy emphasized that over the past five and a half years, the government has provided employment to a substantial number of previously unemployed individuals. The process of creating new job opportunities in different departments continues in the current fiscal year, with recruitment decisions being a regular agenda in cabinet meetings.
The Minister shared specific recruitment statistics with the assembly today. Through the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), 6571 individuals have been appointed to regular teaching positions in schools statewide from 2018-19 till now. Additionally, 88 individuals have been recruited as Special Educators, he said.
Furthermore, 100 individuals have been recruited to regular positions in Group-C (Lower Division Clerk) and Group-D in the Education Department. From 2018-19 to date, the state police force has recruited 119 individuals to regular positions of Sub-Inspector and Constable. The formation of two new forces in the Tripura State Rifles (India Reserve Battalion) has led to the recruitment of 1413 TSR jawans. Moreover, 288 individuals have been recruited to regular positions in Group-C and Group-D. From 2018-19 to 2023-24, 1262 individuals have been recruited to the Special Police Officer (SPO) post.
In a recent session of the Legislative Assembly, the Minister for Social Welfare highlighted the ongoing efforts to combat unemployment in Tripura. The state government has been actively recruiting individuals through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC), with 1,208 people appointed to regular posts across various departments from 2018-19 to the present.
Additionally, the Joint Recruitment Board (JRBT) has extended regular job offers to 1,980 individuals for Group-C posts in different departments. The recruitment process for 2,500 regular Group-D posts is currently underway. From 2018-19 to December 2023, the National Health Mission (NHM) has recruited 1,015 individuals for doctor and other contractual positions.
The Minister also emphasized the role of skill development in addressing unemployment. Over the past five years, the state government’s Department of Skill Development has trained 22,000 young individuals, with the majority finding employment in private companies. The Deendayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana has facilitated employment in the organized sector for 5,416 individuals post-training.
The Tripura Rural Livelihoods Mission (TRLM) has formed more than 47,000 women’s self-help groups over the past five years, engaging over four lakh women.
These groups have been provided with 948 Amrit Sarovars to generate income. From 2018-19 to the present, TRLM has disbursed a total of Rs 1.56 crore to women-led self-help groups.
Under the Swavalamban scheme, 26,732 individuals have received assistance to become self-sufficient, and 22,714 individuals have been aided under the PMJAY scheme from 2018-19. Furthermore, 4,226 unemployed individuals have found employment through Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The Minister also noted that 74 job fairs have been organized under the current government, resulting in employment for 1,734 young individuals.
Treasury Bench MLA Kishor Barman, LoP Animesh Debbarma, CPIM MLA Jitendra Choudhury, Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy, and TIPRA Motha Party MLA Biswajit Kaloi took part in the discussion. Following the discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted with amendments.