‘Growth of 6-8% likely in formal sector jobs through PM-VBRY’

Lucknow: The launch of Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) has sparked hope in Uttar Pradesh's employment landscape, especially in Lucknow region, officials said.By July-end in the current financial year, over 94,000 people joined formal workforce and were allotted Universal Account Number (UAN), while 2,152 new firms have registered with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Lucknow. This surge aligns with the Union Cabinet's approval of the employment-linked incentive scheme in July, officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Aug 15. The scheme aims to promote job creation, enhance employability, and expand social security, with a special focus on the manufacturing sector.Regional provident fund commissioner-I, Lucknow, Ashwini Kumar Gupta, told TOI, "These are encouraging figures for the Lucknow region. We anticipate a 6-8% growth in formal sector employment via PM-VBRY."The region currently has 37,541 active establishments out of 37,926 registered, but only 7,087 are actively contributing to EPF. There are 5.2 lakh active UAN holders out of 19.19 lakh registered.Statewide, UAN holders rose from 37.63 lakh in financial year 2023-24 to 40.2 lakh in 2024-25, marking a 6.38% growth. With a national outlay of Rs 99,446 crore, PM-VBRY aims to generate over 3.5 crore jobs in two years. Uttar Pradesh is expected to receive Rs 10,000 crore to support job creation.Under Part A of the scheme, new employees earning up to Rs 1 lakh annually will receive up to Rs 15,000 in two installments via direct benefit transfer (DBT). Part B offers employers up to Rs 3,000 per month per new hire for two years, credited directly to PAN-linked accounts.Employers can register at pmvbry.epfindia.gov.in or pmvbry.labour.gov.in. First-time employees can generate their UAN using face authentication technology (FAT) on Umang app.

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