New Delhi: Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, informed the Parliament that the participation of women in the country’s workforce has seen a significant increase over the past six years. Replying to a query from Rajya Sabha (MP) and Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose on women employment, Karandlaje told the upper house that the worker population ratio (WPR) and Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women aged 15 years and above showed a steady increase from 22 per cent and 23.3 per cent respectively in 2017-18 to 40.3 per cent and 41.7 per cent in 2023-24.
The Union Minister of State stated that her government is committed to promote female participation in the workforce through legislative and policy measures. She highlighted that the PM Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre implemented several steps to improve women’s participation in the workforce. She stated that her government increased the number of paid maternity leave, ensured flexible working hours, equal wages and safe work environments.
Ministry of Labour & Employment provided the data available in latest Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment and Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for women of age 15 years and above during 2017-18 to 2023-24 are as follows:
| Survey Year | CAP (%) | LFPR (%) |
| 2017-18 | 22 | 23.3 |
| 2018-19 | 23.3 | 24.5 |
| 2019-20 | 28.7 | 30 |
| 2020-21 | 31.4 | 32.5 |
| 2021-22 | 31.7 | 32.8 |
| 2022-23 | 35.9 | 37 |
| 2023-24 | 40.3 | 41.7 |
In an attempt to boost female LFPR, the government is implementing various schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-UP India Scheme, Startup India, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), Production Linked Incentive, etc. Individuals can visit for details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes.
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