Jammu, July 4 -- On July 1, 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, allocating Rs.99,446 crore to spur job creation to generate up to 35 million jobs over the next two years. This initiative underscores the need for India's economic growth to translate into meaningful employment opportunities. According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey monthly bulletin, female labour force participation remains low at 33.2%, well below the global average, while youth unemployment among those aged 15-29 is at 15%, compared to the overall unemployment rate of 5.6%. Furthermore, most workers are still employed in the informal sector, which generally offers low wages.

Globally, wage-linked incentive schemes ha...