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

 

The Abhiyaan was flagged off from Telihar village, Khagaria district in Bihar on 20 June 2020 through video-conferencee. 

 

The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan itself was launched with a Rs 1.75 lakh crore package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. An amount of Rs 50,000 crore will be spent for building durable rural infrastructure under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.

 

The Central government has identified 25 work areas for employment in villages for development of various infrastructure projects. These 25 works or projects are planned to meet the needs of villages like rural housing for the poor, plantation, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan Mission, Panchayat Bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, and other infrastructure like cattle sheds, Anganwadi Bhavans, etc.

 

The Abhiyaan will also provide modern amenities in rural areas. The laying of fibre cables and setting up the internet are also part of the Abhiyaan. These services will be installed by workers staying in their own village and with their family. 

 

The Abhiyaan spread over 125 days will work in a mission mode and involve focused implementation of 25 categories of activities in 116 districts, each with a large concentration of returnee migrant workers in the six states -- Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. 

 

 

The Abhiyaan will be a convergent effort between 12 different ministries/departments such as 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 livelihood opportunities.

 

The major objectives of the initiative include:

 

1) Provide livelihood opportunity to returning migrants and similarly affected rural citizens.

 

2) Saturate villages with public infrastructure and create livelihood opportunities viz. roads, housing, anganwadis, panchayat bhavans, various livelihood assets and community complexes among others.

 

3) 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 a longer term.

 

The Ministry of Rural Development is the nodal body for the campaign which will be implemented in coordination with the state governments. The Central Nodal Officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above will be appointed to oversee the timely implementation of the schemes in rural districts.   

 

The Abhiyan will cover 25 works and activities targeted to be taken up on priority--construction of community sanitation centre (CSC), construction of cattle sheds, construction of Gram Panchayat Bhawan, construction of poultry sheds, works under 14th FC funds, construction of goat shed, construction of national highway works, construction of vermi-compost structures, water conservation and harvesting works, railway, construction of wells, RURBAN, plantation works, PM Kusum, horticulture, Bharat Net, construction of anganwadi centers, CAMPA plantation, construction of rural housing works, PM Urja Ganga Project, rural connectivity works, KVK training for livelihoods, solid and liquid waste management works, District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) works and construction of farm ponds.