Hiring up two fold after Covid-19 lockdown: PM Modi in Parliament

Humanity has not seen any challenge like pandemic in the last hundred years, he says.

The economy is lifting up and millions of jobs have been created since lockdowns for the coronavirus were eased last year, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday as he defended his government’s policies in the Rajya Sabha.

"The world is still battling Covid-19. Humanity has not seen any challenge like this in the last hundred years,” he said while replying to while replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address to the Budget session.

"Compared to pre-Covid, hiring has increased two-fold after the lockdown was lifted,” he said, citing data payroll data from Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. "In 2021, about 1 crore 20 lakh (12 million) people joined the EPFO payroll. These are formal jobs, not informal. From this, 60-65 lakh (6-6.5 million) people are between 18-25 years. This is their first entry into job market."

Modi cited NASSCOM to say that since 2017, direct and indirect, 2.7 million jobs have been created in the IT sector.

Modi, while speaking in the Lok Sabha on Monday, accused the Congress party of “instigating” migrants to travel amid the first lockdown and hence spreading Covid-19 across the country. He also accused the main Opposition party in the House of practising “divide and rule” and said even after losing so many elections, the party has not been able to shed its ‘arrogance’.