11 Years of Empowering Shram Shakti & Building a Future-Ready Bharat

As India marches toward its centenary of independence in 2047, employment generation and social protection have been placed at the core of our mission for Viksit Bharat. Over the past 11 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s workforce has been at the centre of policy, planning, and progress. This shift has led to historic improvements in employment generation and the expansion of social protection coverage.

- BY: DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA

In 2014, India’s employment landscape was fragmented, social security coverage was limited, and a vast majority of workers particularly those in the unorganised sector, remained outside the protective ambit of welfare schemes. Recognising the scale and urgency of this challenge, Modi government undertook bold and structural reforms.

Flagship initiatives such as Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, and massive infrastructure development drives created unprecedented momentum for employment generation. According to RBI KLEMS data, only 2.9 crore jobs were created between 2004-2014. In comparison, over 17 crore jobs were generated between 2014 - 2024. As per PLFS data, the employment rate (WPR) rose from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 58.2% in 2023-24, while the unemployment rate (UR) declined from 6% to 3.2% during the same period. Not just this, employment generation in formal sector has also seen a substantial progress, with EPFO data showing that more than 7.5 crore formal jobs have been created over the last seven years.

Empowering Yuva and Nari Shakti

At the heart of India’s growth journey lies the empowerment of Yuva and Nari Shakti. As a testament to this, the female employment rate (WPR) increased from 22% in 2017-18 to 40.3% in 2023-24, while the unemployment rate dropped from 5.6% to 3.2% during the same period. This shift has been even more significant in rural India, where female employment grew by 96%, and in urban areas, by 43%. These outcomes are the result of transformative reforms and focused initiatives implemented by the Modi Government in last 11 years. Today, more than 70 Centrally Sponsored schemes across 15 ministries are dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurship, making them atmanirbhar.