According to a study by Research & Information System for Developing Countries, released by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath on Friday, if India achieves $150 billion exports target by 2009-10, total additional jobs created would be 1.36 crore (13.6 million).
Of this, 81.57 lakh jobs would be direct incremental employment, while 54.61 lakh jobs would be in indirect jobs created through backward linkages and in logistics.
However, if exports cross $165 billion by 2009-10, 2.1 crore (21 million) incremental jobs could be created. This would include 1.24 crore (12.4 million) direct jobs and 86.32 lakh indirect jobs in export-related sectors, the RIS study projected.
The total employment in export sectors by 2009-10 would jump to 2.95 crore (29.5 million) or 3.69 crore (36.9 million) depending upon whether exports touch $150 billion or $165 billion.
"It is only with multi-pronged, multi-dimensional efforts that we can address the massive challenge of finding jobs for millions of our unemployed youth. Export-oriented production has a huge potential for generating jobs," Nath, who released the report while announcing the annual supplement of the Foreign Trade Policy, said.
India's exports have already crossed $100 billion in 2005-06 and the government has set a target of $120 billion in 2006-07. With an annual growth rate of about 25 per cent, the country's exports may well cross this target.
The study said in 2004-05, exports created 14.85 lakh incremental direct jobs. This brought the total number of jobs generated by exports to 90.06 lakh, corresponding to the $80 billion of exports during 2004-05.
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