Rozgar Budget 2022-23

Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal, in the Budget Session of 2021, shared his vision to increase the per capita income of the people of Delhi to the per capita income of Singapore by 2047. A pivotal pillar of economic growth and ensuring this vision was to ensure dignified employment for all the residents of Delhi.

In late 2021, DDC, in collaboration with the Planning and Finance Department of Delhi, started an extensive exercise of understanding the complex economy of Delhi and identifying the key sectors in Delhi's economy. It was observed that: 

1. The economy of Delhi is growing at a faster rate than that of the country;
    
2. The service sector contributed around 81% of Delhi's economy;
    
3. Demand forces drive Delhi's economy; 
    
4. An increase in the consumption capacity of an average consumer would result in the growth of Delhi's economy.

Key Learnings 

DDC segmented the economy of Delhi in various sectors, such as Retail, Manufacturing, Banking, Logistics etc. Extensive research, interviews and stakeholder consultations were done across identified sectors to understand the existing situation, challenges and the possible interventions required. It was then mapped with the feasibility of the solutions, keeping an eye on the growth potential across that sector along with the generation of employment opportunities. DDC held in-depth, in-person, one-on-one meetings with stakeholders across various job-generating sectors in Delhi. About 150 meetings were held with Delhi traders, associations, and markets to understand how different segments of Delhi's economy will grow and what the government can do.

In parallel to consultations with stakeholders, a dedicated team at DDC studied global best practices from other capitals like Seoul, London and Singapore. Public policy experts and economists from these capital cities were interviewed to understand the reasons behind the growth of these regions. Successes and failures of existing state and national policies in India were also studied in detail by engaging with those individuals who had been part of policy formulation and implementation at the national and state level.

 As a result of the consultations and research, about 8- 10 sectors were identified for pushing growth and job creation. These include the retail, food and beverages, logistics and supply chain, travel and tourism, entertainment, construction, real estate, electronics and green energy sectors. In the Budget Session of 2022-23, the 'Rozgar Budget' was tabled before the House with several of these recommended interventions.

Recommendations 

The Rozgar Budget was formulated keeping employment generation at the centre of the Budget design. The schemes introduced under the Budget are estimated to lead to the creation of 20 lakh new jobs in the next 5 years i.e. 2022-27. The major schemes introduced in the Budget Session of 2022- 23 were: 

1. Redevelopment of Delhi's Famous and Iconic Retail Markets: ₹ 100 crore has been allocated in 2022-23 for the redevelopment of infrastructure and other facilities of traditional iconic markets of Delhi in the next 5 years. This will lead to the creation of 1.5 lakh new job opportunities in the next 5 years.
    
2. Delhi Shopping Festival: ₹ 250 crore has been allocated for organising the 'Delhi Shopping Festival' to invite people from our country as well as the rest of the world to shop in Delhi and experience it as a festival. Attractive discounts will be given to the buyers during the festival. The festival will have three main attractions – shopping, entertainment and food. Delhi Government will motivate sellers (shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and entrepreneurs) to offer discounts by giving them SGST refunds. It will have an impact on the lives of 12 lakh people employed in these sectors.
    
3. Delhi Wholesale Shopping Festival: 60% of Delhi’s business is done in wholesale. To retain the old character of Delhi being the centre of wholesale trade, Delhi will also engage the wholesale traders of Delhi as part of the 'Delhi Shopping Festival,' and prepare attractive schemes with discounts for the wholesale customers.
    
4. Launch of Delhi Bazaar Portal: To connect shopkeepers located in small and local markets of Delhi with customers and boost their business, an online portal will be developed at zero setup cost to traders. ₹ 20 crore has been proposed under this scheme, which is expected to benefit 10 lakh specific vendors in Delhi. Around 3 lakh employment opportunities are expected to be created in the retail sector in the next 5 years.
    
5. To develop Asia's largest textile trading centre in Gandhinagar into a 'Grand Garment Hub': This program is expected to create more than 40,000 new employment opportunities in the next 5 years.
    
6. Transforming the young population looking for jobs into the employing youth population under the new Startup Policy: Delhi is the Start-up Capital of India. Delhi Govt. has prepared the ‘Start-up Policy' to ease the process of setting up start-ups in Delhi. The process will include setting up incubation centres, organising conferences for marketing, mentoring and investment, and getting entrepreneurs connected with banks and investors. A provision of ₹ 50 crore has been proposed in BE 2022-23.
    
7. Rebuilding Delhi's non-conforming industrial areas: Redevelopment of 25 notified non-conforming industrial areas to be done in the next five years. It will create more than 6 lakh new employment opportunities for the people of Delhi.
    
8. Redevelopment of popular food hubs in Delhi;
    
9. Setting up of Cloud Kitchen Clusters in Delhi: To provide land to Cloud Kitchen with plug-and-play facilities and ease licensing process and regulations in the Budget 2022-23. Cloud kitchens have huge potential for revenue generation, this sector creates a large number of both direct and indirect job opportunities. It has the potential to create 42,000 new job opportunities within the next 5 years.
    
10. Establishment of a new Electronic City in Delhi: Delhi’s Electronic City is proposed as a 90-acre plug-and-play manufacturing centre at Baprola. Electronic companies will be invited to set up their base in Delhi to meet the demand for electronics & electrical equipment for Delhi as well as the country.
     
11. Bringing green jobs in Delhi by promotion of schemes like e-vehicle, solar energy and urban farming: 

    Delhi has become the first state in India to cross the 10% mark in EV sales, which is more than the share of electric vehicles in many developed countries like the UK, France & Singapore. 20,000 new jobs will be created in the next 5 years through EV policy.

    A new solar policy is to be introduced in 2022-23 to achieve the target of taking the installed capacity of rooftop solar plants to 2500 MW (peak). It will create 40,000 jobs for sales, construction workers, electricians, technicians and engineers in this sector.

    The Government of Delhi will launch ‘Smart Urban Farming‘ in association with IARI (Pusa Sansthan) in the Financial Year 2022-23 to increase the green cover of Delhi, supply of nutritious organic food and provide employment opportunities to women at home. It will create 25,000 new jobs in Delhi in the next five years.

12. To establish new employment and business opportunities related to tourism and Art & Culture through Delhi Film Policy and to organise the International Film Festival in Delhi: Delhi Film Policy to promote tourism in Delhi and brand Delhi as a national and international film destination. Creation of an online single window clearance mechanism (e-film clearance) to fast-track approvals with over 25 stakeholder agencies.
     
13. To start the tradition of employment audit in Delhi in the outcome of various works being carried out by the Government of Delhi and its various departments and public and private undertakings;
     
14. Introducing the Employment Market Portal launched by the Delhi Government in the form of Rozgar Bazaar 2.0: An artificial intelligence-based website and mobile application ‘Rozgar Bazaar 2.0’ is to be developed in the financial year 2022-23 in a state-of-the-art and professional manner, to bring job seekers and employers in Delhi on a single platform. It aims to provide at least 1 lakh jobs every year to the youth of Delhi and especially women.