Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojna to be extended till March 31: FM Sitharaman

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday made an announcement that the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojna will be extended till March 31, 2022 in a bid to boost the fresh hiring in the country amid the pandemic.

“Since October 2020, about 21.42 lakh beneficiaries of 79,577 establishments have been benefited from the scheme,” the Finance Minister said.

With an aim to create new job opportunities, the initiative was launched last year. 

Earlier, reports had suggested that the Ministry of Labour and Employment was considering extending the timeline of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) till March next year from the existing June 30.

Under the ABRY approved by the Union Cabinet in December last year, the government pays mandatory employees provident fund contributions of workers as well as employers for new recruits for a period of two years.

Finance Minister @nsitharaman announces extension of #AatmaNirbharBharat Rozgar Yojana till 31st March 2022.

Since October 2020, about 21.42 lakh beneficiaries of 79,577 establishments have been benefitted from the scheme.

- Finance Minister @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/xnykC4n5S6 — PIB India (@PIB_India) June 28, 2021

Under the scheme with an outlay of ₹22,810 crore, workers recruited from October 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, were covered. “The Ministry of Labour and Employment is in the process of circulating a Cabinet proposal for extending the timeline for ABRY till March 2022,” sources told PTI.

The source had earlier explained that about 21 lakh new recruits are benefitted so far which is far less than government’s expectation of 58.5 lakh.

Under the ABRY approved by the Union Cabinet in December last year, the government pays mandatory employees provident fund contributions of workers as well as employers for new recruits for a period of two years.

Under the scheme with an outlay of ₹22,810 crore, workers recruited from October 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, were covered. “The Ministry of Labour and Employment is in the process of circulating a Cabinet proposal for extending the timeline for ABRY till March 2022,” sources told PTI.

The source had earlier explained that about 21 lakh new recruits are benefitted so far which is far less than government’s expectation of 58.5 lakh.

(With inputs from news agencies)