Haryana Records Lowest Rural Unemployment Rate in Region: RBI Data

Haryana has come out at the bottom with the lowest unemployment rate in rural areas within the region according to the latest available statistics from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to the Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, there has been a notable improvement in employment arrangements within the rural state of Haryana during the year 2023-24.

According to the RBI statistics, Haryana had the lowest rate of rural unemployment with 31 per 1,000 people in 2023-24. Delhi had the highest rate with 60 unemployed per 1,000 people, followed by Punjab with 54 unemployed per 1,000 people. Himachal Pradesh had 50 unemployed people per 1,000 people, while Rajasthan and Chandigarh also had 32 unemployed people per 1,000 people each.

The data reveals a significant reduction in rural unemployment in Haryana within a short period of one year. In 2022-23, Haryana had a rural unemployment rate of 58 per thousand, which reduced substantially to 31 in 2023-24.

In Delhi too, a similar trend is seen, with a reduction in figures from 102 to 60. Punjab witnessed only marginal progress, declining from 62 to 54. Himachal Pradesh, however, saw a rise in rural unemployment from 35 to 50, while Rajasthan recorded a slight dip from 34 to 32.

A longer-term comparison reveals that unemployment levels across states have generally increased since the base year 1993–94. At that time, Haryana’s rural unemployment rate stood at 11, Punjab at 13, Himachal Pradesh at 5, Rajasthan at 3, and Chandigarh at 29 per 1,000. 

The latest RBI data comes amid sustained political debate over employment in Haryana. The Congress has repeatedly targeted the Nayab Singh Saini-led government, citing CMIE data to claim that unemployment in the state had touched 37.4 percent at one point.

Responding to the RBI findings, Haryana Health and Medical Education Minister Arti Singh Rao said the data had exposed what she termed as “misinformation” regarding employment in the state. She asserted that the BJP’s double-engine government has been working systematically for the past 11 years to create productive employment opportunities for the youth.

The RBI statistics are now being seen as a key reference point in the ongoing debate over jobs and economic performance in Haryana.