Page 360 - economic review

EMPLOYMENT332

Self Employment Schemes implemented through Employment Exchanges

9.41 Three self employment schemes are implemented through the Employment Exchanges in Kerala.
‘Kerala Self Employment Scheme for the Registered Unemployed’ (KESRU) is being implemented
since 1999 and is intended for unemployed persons in the live register between the age limit 21 - 50
with annual family income not exceeding ` 40,000 and individual income below ` 500 per month.
Bank loan up to ` 1.00 lakh with a 20 per cent subsidy is given for self employment ventures.

9.42 ‘Multi-Purpose Service Centres/Job Clubs (MPSC/JC) is a group oriented self-employment
scheme for development of enterprises in the unorganised sector. Bank loan up to ` 10 lakh with
a maximum of ` 2 lakh as subsidy is given for starting self-employment group ventures of 2 to 5
members, who are unemployed persons in the live registers with age group of 21-40 years.

9.43 ‘Employment Scheme for the Destitute Women’ (Saranya) is a scheme for uplifting the most
backward and segregated women in the State, namely widows, divorced, deserted, spinsters above
the age of 30 and unwedded mothers of Scheduled Tribe. Under this scheme interest free bank loan
upto ` 50,000 with a 50 per cent subsidy (maximum ` 25,000) is given for starting self-employment
ventures.

Unemployment Assistance

9.44 Government of Kerala introduced an unemployment assistance scheme since 1982. Under
the scheme, unemployed youths remaining in the live registers for over three years (physically
challenged need only two years) after attaining the age of 18 and having passed SSLC (but the
SC/ST & physically Challenged candidate need to have only appeared for SSLC examination) and
having annual family income below 12,000 and personal income below 100 per month are eligible for
an unemployment assistance of `120 per month up to the age of 35 years of age. During the year
2013 an amount of ` 37.78 crore was disbursed to 2,62,479 beneficiaries.

9.45 As per the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act (1994) and Kerala Municipality Act (1994), the scheme of
unemployment assistance has been transferred to Grama panchayats and Urban Local Governments
since 1998. The eligible candidates can submit their application for unemployment allowance in the
prescribed form at any time to the local government concerned. The welfare standing committee
at the Local Governments will scrutinize the application based on the eligibility criteria and take a
decision.

Placement through Employment Exchanges in Kerala

9.46 The figures furnished by the Director of Employment & Training reveal that placement through
Employment Exchanges in Kerala has been declining since 2000. Total placement is declined
from 23,012 in 2000 to 8831 in 2013. Reduction in placement may be due to temporary posts are
either being filled up on daily wage/contract basis or remain kept vacant. The placement through
employment exchanges in Kerala since 2000 is illustrated in the following graph (Figure 9.16).

Kerala State Planning Board