The Government of India has planned to initiate the PM-VBRY on August 1, 2025, a major employment-linked incentive scheme. Creation of 3.5 crore new employment opportunities within two years is expected, out of which 1.92 crore will be freshers in the workforce. This programme is approved by Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the overall vision of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
With a huge budget of Rs 99,446 crore, PM-VBRY has goal of incentivizing both employers and workers in the organized sector especially in manufacturing sector. With the government scheme Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, the twin program will not only seek to address unemployment but also foster economic growth through employment-led development.
Why PM-VBRY?
India’s workforce continues to increase, driven by a young and urbanizing population. According to the Economic Survey 2023–24, the population burst, and the urban-rural demographic division has created employment challenges. So, India needs to generate at least 10–12 million jobs every year in order to match freshers entry into the labour market.
The COVID-19 has deepened the crisis and stress of employment, especially among unskilled and informal workers. Programs such as the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) helped more than 60 lakh beneficiaries, but the transient nature and the requirement for a long-term approach to promote freshers and employees were missing. PM-VBRY bridges that gap.
Previous Work Schemes implemented in India
PM-VBRY is a continuation and evolution of India’s labor policy, few earlier efforts by the government have been highlighted:
MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) – 2005
Introduced to guarantee 100 days of wage employment for rural households, this was India’s first legislatively guaranteed work scheme. With several flaws and its relevance for only rural area, hadn’t provided job opportunities to the urban population.
Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) – 2016
This scheme subsidized EPF contributions for new hires in the organized sector. It was operational until March 2019 but was stopped due to low employer awareness and administrative issues. 98.38 lakhs of employees got direct benefit from government in EPF account under this scheme.
Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) – 2020
Developed during the crisis of COVID, it worked as package to boost economy, ABRY subsidized EPF payments to keep and create jobs in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It benefited over 60 lakh beneficiaries.
Each of these endeavours delivered a lessons on the policy, cash flow and implementation effectiveness. PM-VBRY encapsulates those lessons into a more organized and more inspirational future roadmap.
The program PM-VBRY is divided into two parts, each benefitting diverse stakeholders:
Part A: First Time Employee Benefits
This component incentivizes freshers workforce, particularly new joiners in the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Salaried employees with income up to Rs 1 lakh per month can benefit from an EPF salary subsidy of up to Rs 15,000, will be disbursed in two installments:
First Phase: On completion of six months of continuous service.
Second Phase: On completion of 12 months of service and successful completion of a financial literacy course.
The gain will be retained in a saving account or deposit account, to benefit long-term financial help, as stipulated by the ELI Scheme Document (2025). This aligns with broader government efforts to benefit savings and retirement planning among youth.
Part B: Employer Incentives
Under Part B, companies that hire new employees (successive employment for six months or more) will receive government incentives for each new hiring. The incentives are varying based on the employee’s EPF salary:
• Rs 1,000/month for salaries up to Rs 10,000
• Rs 2,000/month for salaries from Rs 10,001 to Rs 20,000
• Rs 3,000/month for salaries from Rs 20,001 to Rs 1 lakh
Smaller employers who employ fewer than 50 employees are required to hire at least two new employees, while large employers employing more than 50 employees must hire at least five new employees to be eligible for benefits.
Special focus has been put on the manufacturing sector, in recognition of the sector’s ability to create bulk-level employment and boost domestic production capabilities. All disbursals both to employers and workers, will be made through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) platforms using Aadhaar-based systems for workers and PAN-linked accounts for employers, thus promoting transparency and accountability.
Sectoral Focus: Why Manufacturing?
According to the Economic Survey 2023–24, the manufacturing sector has been lagging behind at only 15–17% of employment in India, far less than what it can potentially provide to its citizens. The government approach through the Make in India and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes to reverse this trend has been tried from last 10 years, but it still relies on mega-scale workforce for gains, that’s where the manufacturing sector becomes a game changer. PM-VBRY achieves its goal through offering more long-term incentives to manufacturing employers. The primary objective is to increase the sector’s share in employment as well as in GDP and hence reducing India’s dependency on employment in the service sector, which is more vulnerable to automation in present day.
Expected Impact to be achieved
Through this scheme nearly 3.5 crore jobs will be generated in two years (2025–2027). Where 1.92 crore of them will be formal sector workers. It also targets the wage relief to employers from manufacturing sector for up to 2 years which can be extended to 4 years in future. The formalization of workforce with the help of EPFO will increase social security and insurance coverage. Not only will this reduce India’s youth jobs problem, but it will also increase EPFO coverage, thus making India’s formal jobs market more robust.
A good path often encounters challenges; its success depends on effective employer onboarding by EPFO and labor departments. Second is Integration through digital means for seamless DBT transfers and identification verification. Campaigns in rural and semi-urban India, where job creation has greatest value but formal sector penetration is minimal. Abuse prevention in real-time audits, to spot false or ghost employment records.
PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana is not merely a job scheme, but it’s a socio-economic policy that links national productivity with individual opportunity. It complements the shortage caused by other schemes and aligns with India’s vision of sustained growth.
With India reaching its centenary of independence in 2047, PM-VBRY will be an important step in constructing an economy that grows and includes and empowers everyone. Through political will, administrative speed and industry collaboration this scheme has the ability to transform its ₹99,446 crore investment into a force for jobs, equity and contribute to Indias economic strength.
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