SRINAGAR: More than 1,500 employees and over 300 employers in Jammu and Kashmir received incentives amounting to over Rs 26 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide disbursement programme on Friday.
According to official figures, 1,522 employees in the Union Territory received incentives worth Rs 74 lakh, while Rs 25.42 crore were directly transferred into the bank accounts of 304 employers under the Employment-Linked Incentive scheme aimed at promoting formal employment and social security coverage.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment organised programmes at the Convention Centre in Jammu and the Bari Brahmana Industrial Association in Samba as part of the nationwide rollout. The main national event was held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister disbursed incentives worth Rs 2,400 crore to more than 15 lakh beneficiaries across the country.
Addressing the Jammu and Kashmir programme virtually, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the initiative reflected the Union Government’s commitment to expanding formal employment and social security coverage in the Union Territory.
Describing the occasion as a celebration of Jammu and Kashmir’s transformation, Sinha said the scheme was helping provide secure and dignified employment opportunities to young people. He noted that workers in Jammu and Kashmir were brought under the national social security framework following the implementation of the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, in the Union Territory in November 2019.
Highlighting the impact of PM-VBRY, the Lieutenant Governor said more than 3,300 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir have registered under the scheme. According to him, over 22,500 youths have entered the formal employment system for the first time through the initiative, while more than 31,000 job openings have qualified for incentives, benefiting over 53,000 people across the Union Territory.
Sinha said the scheme operates through incentives for both employees and employers. While first-time entrants into the organised workforce receive direct financial assistance, employers are incentivised to expand their workforce and generate additional jobs.
The programme was broadcast at multiple locations across Jammu and Kashmir, including Lok Bhavan Srinagar, Convention Centre Jammu, NIFT College at SIDCO Industrial Complex Ompora in Budgam, and Bari Brahmana Industrial Association in Samba.
At the Convention Centre in Jammu, around 600 participants attended the event, including beneficiaries, employers, industry representatives, public representatives and government officials. Employers distributed 20 employment letters to newly recruited workers during the programme, while six appointment letters were handed over at the Samba event.
Officials said PM-VBRY provides eligible first-time employees with one month’s wage, up to Rs 15,000, and offers incentives to employers for creating additional jobs. Manufacturing units are eligible for extended support to encourage sustained employment generation in labour-intensive sectors.
