Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Through this scheme, Union Government plans to provide employment to migrant workers and create rural infrastructure. The scheme will be launched through video-conferencing from the village Telihar in the Khagaria district of Bihar.

Aim: The scheme will empower and provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens who have returned to their home states due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown. This campaign will work in mission mode for 125 days with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crores.

Objective: A total of 116 districts across six states, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha (where maximum migrant workers have returned) have been chosen for the campaign. Those districts where 25,000 migrants have returned have been chosen for this programme.

It will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of work which includes

• Construction of wells,
• Plantation and Horticulture,
• Angwadi centres,
• Rural housing,
• Rural connectivity and border road works,
• Railway works,
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN mission,
• PM KUSUM works,
• Laying of fiber optic cable under Bharat Net,
• Works under Jal Jeevan mission.

Apart from these the workers will help build gram panchayat bhawans and anganwadi centres, national highway works, railway works and water conservation projects, among others across six states.

12 different Ministries/Departments, namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, Mines, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Environment, Railways, etc. will be coordinating for the implementation of the scheme.

• The villages will join this programme through the Common Service Centres (CSCs) and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) maintaining the norms of social distancing in the wake of the pandemic.

Common Service Centres

• Common Services Centres are a strategic cornerstone of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
• It was approved in May 2006 to introduce e-governance on a massive scale under the National Common Minimum Programme.
• It aims to provide high-quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services.
• A highlight of the CSCs is that it offers web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including application forms, certificates and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras

• It is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).
• It consists of scientists, technical staff, administrative support staff and auxiliary staff.
• The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry.
• KVKs also produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, and livestock) and make it available to farmers.
• The KVK scheme is 100% financed by the Government of India.

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched massive employment -cum- rural public works Campaign named ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to empower and provide livelihood opportunities in areas/ villages witnessing a large number of returnee migrant workers affected by the devastating COVID-19.

Need for Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

• The Abhiyaan was flagged off from village Telihar, Block Beldaur, district Khagaria, Bihar on June 20 .
• Right from the time when the lockdown was announced, the problems being faced by villagers, poor people, farmers and workers have been one of the priority focus areas.
• A package of Rs. 1,70,000 crores was announced to take care of essential requirements of the people, which went a long way in mitigating the difficulties of the people.
• Later, the Prime Minister announced a package of Rs 20 lakh crores on 12th May 2020 whose main objective was to give economic stability.
• It sought to include agriculture, rural development, employment and the creation of new employment opportunities within its ambit.
• The government has taken cognizance of its responsibility to provide employment to the migrant workers who have returned to their native villages, there itself.

About Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

• Giving details, the Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister said that the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is being undertaken in 116 districts of 6 states.
• It will be implemented at the grassroots level with active coordination between 11 ministries of the Central Government.
• The Abhiyaan will continue for 125 days, and 25 works have been identified which will be taken up for completion.
• As a result, employment will be rapidly generated. It is an important step towards providing employment to the people on a mission mode.
• The Abhiyaan will be a convergent effort between 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 opportunities 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 the expansion and development of livelihoods over the longer term.

The Ministry of Rural Development is the nodal Ministry for this campaign and the campaign will be implemented in close coordination with the State Governments.

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

• 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.
• PM Modi will launch this Abhiyaan on 20th June 2020.
• The Abhiyaan will be launched from Village – Telihar, Khagaria District of Bihar.
• The villages across 116 districts in the six States will join this programme through the Common Service Centres and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, maintaining the norms of social distancing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• This campaign of 125 days, which will work in mission mode, will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of work 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 a resource envelope of Rs. 50,000 crores.
• A total of 116 Districts with more than 25,000 returnee migrant workers across six States, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have been chosen for the campaign which includes 27 Aspirational Districts.
• These districts are estimated to cover about 2/3 of such migrant workers.
• The Abhiyaan will be a coordinated 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.