10.34 am: The ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ will be implemented on a mission mode in 125 days in 116 districts of six states — Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha — that received the maximum numbers of migrant workers back.

10.30 am: The ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ was launched by PM Modi via video conference in a village in Khagaria district of Bihar in the presence of the chief ministers of five states — Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand — and a minister from Odisha.

Employment scheme for migrant workers affected by lockdown:

On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an employment scheme with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore for migrant workers who returned to their home states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

As h launched the scheme, PM Modi said during the nationwide lockdown, the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development of rural areas. The ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ was launched to help expedite implementation of 25 public infrastructure works and those related to augmentation of livelihood opportunities.

These 25 works are related to rural housing for the poor, plantations, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan Mission, and construction of panchayat bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, cattle sheds and anganwadi bhavans, according to the Ministry of Rural Development.

The scheme was launched weeks after lakhs of migrant workers returned to their home states following loss of employment in urban centres due to the nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Under the scheme, the 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 mission will be a convergent effort between 12 different ministries/ departments such as 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.

The prime minister said he got the idea for the scheme from a group of migrant workers, trained in white washing, who repaired and painted a government school in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh as a thank you gesture. The school was their quarantine centre.

DIFFERENT FROM MGNREGS

Officials said the Garib Kalyan Rojgyar Abhiyan is separate from the MGNREGS. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) ensures 100 days of employment per household in a year.

MGNREGS is applicable across the country and a large number of works are allowed under the scheme even working on own farms by small Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers is allowed and government pay wages to them.

Whereas the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Yojana is a one-time scheme for providing employment to migrant workers who returned during the lockdown near their villages.

This scheme is only applicable to 116 districts with a selected list of works initially for 125 days. Later it could be extended, the officials had said.