Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan launched

Context:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the mega ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ aimed to boost livelihood opportunities in rural India amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Highlights of the scheme:

• The first priority of the scheme is to meet the immediate requirement of workers who have gone back to their districts by providing them with livelihood opportunities.
• The focus is also on rural citizens.
• It is a focused campaign of 125 days across 116 districts in six states to work in mission mode.
• Public works worth 50,000 crore rupees to be carried out under the scheme.
• It includes focused implementation of 25 different types of work to provide employment and to create durable infrastructure.
• The villages will join this programme through the common service centres and Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

Implementation of the scheme:

The scheme will be a coordinated effort by 12 different ministries including rural development, Panchayati Raj, Road transport and highways, mines, drinking water and sanitation, environment, railways, petroleum and natural gas, new and renewable energy, border Roads, Telecom and agriculture.

Why these 6 districts were chosen?

Post-COVID-19 lockdown, maximum migrant workers have returned to these six states.

• These districts are estimated to cover about 2/3 of such migrant workers.
• The chosen districts include 27 aspirational districts.

Significance of the scheme:

The jobs selected in the campaign will enable proper utilisation of the strength and skill of people. It will also enable the government to convert Covid crisis into an opportunity.

The campaign will contribute towards provision of modern facilities, such as internet connectivity, laying of optic fibre cables, to increase internet speed in villages, so that children in villages are able to study and learn like those in cities.