Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan beneficials & Investment.

What is Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched massive employment -cum- rural public works Campaign named ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ on 20 JUN 2020 to empower and provide livelihood opportunities in areas/ villages witnessing a large number of returnee migrant workers affected by the devastating COVID-19. The Abhiyaan was flagged off from village Telihar, Block Beldaur, district Khagaria, Bihar on June 20 (Saturday) through Video-Conference attended by the CMs and Representatives of the 6 Participating States, Various Union Ministers, and others.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, businesses across sectors were affected which led to the temporary shutdown of the industries, leaving migrants with no jobs. The railways ran several shramik special trains to take them to their native villages during the lockdown period. As lakhs of migrants returned back, the government has initiated Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan to provide employment to them closer to home.

Launching the scheme, PM Modi said, “skill mapping of the rural migrant labor being done to help them work closer home.”  The government is injecting Rs 50,000 crore worth project to be implemented in a mission mode campaign in 125 days in 116 Districts of 6 States that will generate employment to migrants.

The budget announced on Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

The Prime Minister announced that an amount of Rs 50,000 Crores would be spent for building durable rural infrastructure under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.

He said 25 work areas have been identified for employment in villages, for the development of various works. These 25 works or projects are related to meet the needs of the villages like rural housing for the poor, Plantations, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan mission, Panchayat Bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, other infrastructure like Cattle Sheds, Anganwadi Bhavans, etc.

The Prime Minister said that Abhiyan shall also provide modern facilities in rural areas. He said it is of great necessity that high speed and cheap internet be provided in every rural household to help the youth and children. The Prime Minister said it is the first time that the rural areas are using more internet than the urban areas. Hence the laying of fibre cable and provision of the internet is also made a part of the Abhiyan.

Who are Beneficial under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan?

Shri Modi said the farmers are being directly linked to the market and that the Government has provided an investment of Rs 1,00,000 Crore for linkages like cold storage etc.

This Abhiyaan of 125 days, will work in mission mode, will involve focused implementation of 25 categories of works/ activities in 116 districts, each with a large concentration of returnee migrant workers in 6 states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. Public works to be undertaken during this campaign will have a resource envelope of Rs. 50,000 crores.

The Abhiyaan will be a convergent effort between 12 different Ministries/Departments, 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, to expedite implementation of 25 public infrastructure works and works relating to augmentation of livelihood opportunities. The major objectives of the initiative include:

• Provide livelihood opportunity to returning migrants and similarly affected rural citizens
• Saturate villages with public infrastructure and create livelihood opportunities viz. Roads, Housing, Anganwadis, Panchayat Bhavans, various livelihood assets and Community Complexes among others
• The basket of a wide variety of works will ensure that each migrant worker is able to get an opportunity of employment according to his skill, in the coming 125 days. The Program will also prepare for expansion and development of livelihoods over the longer-term.

List of states, where the GKRA will be undertaken

The list of 25 works & activities targeted to be taken up on priority is mentioned in the following table: