Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced a new scheme to provide unemployment allowance to educated unemployed individuals in the state. According to the scheme, eligible applicants will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 2500 from April 1, 2023, onwards.
The announcement has been welcomed by the youth in the state, who have been struggling to find gainful employment. The scheme has been approved by the Skill Development, Technical Education, and Employment Department, and the Director Employment and Training Chhattisgarh Raipur has issued an order in this regard.
To be eligible for the unemployment allowance, the applicant must be a native of Chhattisgarh and between 18 to 35 years of age. They should have a minimum Higher Secondary (12th) pass from a recognized board and should be registered in the District Employment and Self-Employment Guidance Center. Additionally, their employment registration should be at least two years old in Higher Secondary or above qualification as of April 1 of the year of application. The applicant should not have any source of income, and the annual income of the applicant’s family from all sources should not exceed Rs 2 lakh 50 thousand.
The scheme aims to provide financial support to the unemployed youth of the state and help them to become self-sufficient. The unemployment allowance will be given to eligible candidates for a year, and if they are unable to find employment during this period, the allowance can be extended for another year. However, the total period of unemployment allowance shall not exceed two years in any case.
Moreover, the scheme also offers skill development training to all eligible candidates to help them acquire the necessary skills for employment. If an applicant refuses to participate in the skill development training or does not accept the employment offered after the training, their unemployment allowance will be stopped.
However, the scheme has certain eligibility criteria that the applicant needs to meet. Only one person from a family can receive the unemployment allowance, and if it has already been approved for one person, the others in the family will be ineligible. The applicant will also be ineligible if any member of their family has a job other than Class IV or Group D in any Central or State Government organization or local body.
Family members of former and present ministers, state ministers, and former or present members of Parliament or state legislatures, former and present mayors of municipal corporations, and former and present chairpersons of district panchayats will also be ineligible for unemployment allowance. Additionally, family members of pensioners receiving a monthly pension of Rs.10,000/- or more and those who have paid income tax in the previous assessment year will be ineligible.
The unemployment allowance will be transferred every month to the bank account of the eligible beneficiary, providing them with financial support while they seek employment. This new scheme has been received positively in the state and is expected to provide much-needed relief to the youth struggling with unemployment.
