The Central Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promote active ageing and enhancing employment opportunities for senior citizens through the National Career Service (NCS) Portal. The dedicated Senior Citizen Re-employment Initiative has witnessed significant growth in registrations, employer participation and job opportunities, enabling experienced professionals to continue contributing to the nation's workforce.

This information was given by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar in Rajya Sabha while replying to the question by Member of the House Shri Rajinder Gupta.

The Minister informed the House that the Government has taken note of the findings of the UNFPA-India's India Ageing Report 2023, which projects a significant rise in the country's elderly population. He said the report suggests that the population of persons aged 60 years and above is expected to increase from 10.4 per cent in 2022 to 20.8 per cent by 2050, and further reach 36 per cent by the end of the century.

Dr Kumar added that the report also highlights the need for policies that ensure livelihood opportunities and structured re-employment avenues to provide income security for elderly persons, particularly those working in the unorganised sector.

The Minister further informed that under the NCS project, the Government has approved 407 Model Career Centres (MCCs) in collaboration with States and institutions. These centres connect youth and other job seekers, including senior citizens with employment opportunities through job fairs, the NCS Portal, career counselling and training.

Dr Kumar stated that the National Career Service is playing a pivotal role in supporting India's vision of a skilled, employable and future-ready workforce adding that the platform evolving through AI-driven services, greater convergence and enhanced citizen-centric offerings, is expected to strengthen the country's modern employment services framework and contribute to inclusive economic growth and employment generation.

The Minister said that since the inception of the NCS Portal in 2015, more than 6.46 crore job seekers and 58.76 lakh employers have registered on the portal, including 1.89 lakh job seekers above the age of 60 years.

Pertinently, the portal currently hosts 1.68 lakh vacancies identified as suitable for candidates above the age of 60 years. In addition, more than 2.29 crore job seekers, including senior citizens, have been shortlisted by employers through the portal across the country.

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PR-026-TAR/KV/GA

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