PM-SYM re-evaluation underway: Labour ministry

Source: The post is based on the article “PM-SYM re-evaluation underway: Labour ministry” published in Business Standard on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

The Ministry of Labour has ​​ordered a third-party evaluation of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM) to identify the hurdles in the scheme’s implementation.

What is Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan(PM-SYM)?

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What is the progress of the scheme?

Till December 2021, over 4.6 million beneficiaries were added. But, the pace of enrollment has slowed down considerably in the last three years. 

Against an enrollment target of 10 million beneficiaries in each of the financial years starting 2020-21. But just 5.2 lakh workers were enrolled in the past three years till December 2022.

Similarly, against the budgeted ~350 crores in FY23, only ~93 crores could be utilized by December 2022.

What are the challenges faced by the scheme in its implementation?

There are a number of reasons for the scheme’s poor performance in the last three years.

Some of them are: 1) the long-term financial commitment required by the beneficiaries, 2) the outbreak of the pandemic, 3) the presence of the Atal Pension Yojana covering unorganized workers and 4) the provision of free pensions by states like Rajasthan and Haryana.