With a view to increase rural employment, especially among migrant workers who have returned home during the Covid-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan. The programme, launched from village Telihar in Bihar's Khagaria district was launched by the prime minister via video-conferencing.

Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said with this programme, the government's aim was to develop rural infrastructure. He said the idea was to convert this crisis into an opportunity while providing employment to migrant workers who had to return home because of the Covid-19 lockdown

The programme seeks to provide employment to 6 million migrant workers during the Covid-19 crisis. These migrant workers are spread over 116 districts in six states.

PM also talked about the clash with China on the LAC in Ladakh and commended the Bihar regiment which sacrificed in the face-off on the front.

He also praised the efforts of the village panchayats to house returning migrant workers in quarantine.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman had provided a preview of the scheme on Thursday, 18 June when she said that the government will provide jobs to over 6 million migrant workers in six states by bringing together 25 government schemes under one umbrella.

The finance minister said that central and state governments had mapped the skills of these migrant workers and devised this programme to help them find work closer home. The programme would help build assets in these districts.

Union minister for Rural Development, Narendra Singh Tomar informed that these 25 government schemes of 11 ministries will be brought under one umbrella and the programme which will run for 125 days will try to provide employment to 6 million workers in these 116 districts.

The six states which had the highest influx of migrants who have “settled” in their districts were: Bihar (32 districts), Uttar Pradesh (31), Madhya Pradesh (24), Rajasthan (22), Odisha (4) and Jharkhand (3). These states had 116 districts, each with at least 25,000 returning migrant workers who will benefit from the plan.

The money will go towards construction of national highways and rural road connectivity, construction of wells, plantation, railway activities, community sanitation complex, horticulture, farm ponds, cattle sheds, among others. The Krishi Vigyan Kendras in villages will also help in imparting skills to the workers. The workers will be paid according to the stipulated minimum wage in the respective schemes of the government.

Chief Minsiters of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh also joined the launch via video-conferencing.