Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” – a programme to generate employment opportunities in rural India for migrant workers returning home amid the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown.
“Today is a historic day, a scheme for the welfare and for the livelihood of the poor has been started. My labourer friends, the country understands your emotions and your needs. ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’, starting from Bihar, is a major tool to fulfil this need and emotion,” PM Modi was quoted by news agency ANI.
PM Modi launched the scheme worth Rs 50,000 crore through video conference in presence of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Chief ministers of other five states and Union ministers of concerned ministries participated in the virtual launch from Telihar village in Khagaria district of Bihar.
PM’s office said, “the Government of India has decided to launch a massive rural public works scheme ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to empower and provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens”.
Aim of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan:
According to the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam, the priority of PM Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is to provide immediate relief to migrant workers who returned their hometowns due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Abhiyaan aims to empower and provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens. It will be launched from the village Telihar, Block-Beldaur of Khagaria District of Bihar. In the virtual launch, the Chief Ministers of the other five states and Union Ministers of concerned Ministries will also participate.
How many days the campaign will work?
Modi said, “This campaign of 125 days, which will work in mission mode, will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to the migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country ,on the other hand, with resource envelope of Rs 50,000 crore”.
Ministries and department covered by the Abhiyan:
In total 12 different ministries and departments will be involved in ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport & Highways, Mines, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, New & Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture.
Those districts where 25,000 migrants have returned have been chosen for this programme. 116 districts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have been selected for the campaign. These districts are estimated to cover about two-thirds of migrant workers.
