NEW DELHI, April 4: In a significant stride toward supporting education for the underprivileged, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has disbursed Rs 32.51 crore in financial assistance under its Labour Welfare Schemes for the academic year 2024–25. According to an official statement issued on Friday, a total of 92,118 wards of beedi, cine, and non-coal mine workers across the country benefitted from the scholarships.
The education component of the Labour Welfare Scheme is administered via the National Scholarship Portal and implemented by the Labour Welfare Organisation in 18 regions. These fall under the administrative control of the Directorate General of Labour Welfare, a department of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Under the scheme, eligible wards can receive financial assistance of up to Rs 25,000 per student per annum for school, college, and professional courses. The benefits are disbursed directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge method. This ensures transparency, efficiency, and timely support when students need it most.
Additionally, the Labour Ministry has expanded its employment services through the National Career Service (NCS), a ‘one-stop platform’ for all career-related needs. The platform offers access to jobs from both the private and government sectors, information on job fairs (both online and offline), and skill development or training programmes.
Between January 1 and December 15, 2024, over 1.89 crore vacancies were mobilised on the NCS portal, raising the total number of vacancies listed since its inception to 3.89 crore. This year alone, active job listings peaked at 20 lakh on a single day, while the average number of available opportunities stood at 15 lakh at any given time.
Throughout the year, the NCS portal facilitated 8,263 job fairs, in which 43,874 employers participated and 2,69,616 candidates were provisionally selected for jobs. In terms of registrations, 17,23,741 new employers and 1,38,45,887 new job seekers joined the NCS portal.
The platform has significantly improved its integration and partnerships. It is now connected with the employment portals of 30 States and Union Territories, along with various private job platforms, enhancing its reach and resource base.
Furthermore, NCS has been integrated with the MyBharat platform to offer a seamless user experience for youth, institutions, and organisations. Through this integration, NCS can now host events and facilitate volunteer participation. Model Career Centres (MCCs) are also linked to the platform, empowering Young Professionals to coordinate with volunteers for job fairs and outreach programmes.
