Over 1 million man-days of work generated under migrant workers' scheme: Railways

NEW DELHI: The Railways on Sunday said it has generated 10,66,246 man-days of work till September 25 under the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Around 164 railway infrastructure projects are being executed in these states, according to a statement from the Railways said.

Till September 25, as many as 12,276 workers have been engaged in this scheme and Rs 2190.7 crore has been released to the contractors for the projects being implemented, it said.

"The railways has appointed nodal officers in each district as well as in the states so that close coordination is established with the state government," it said.

The railway has identified many rail works being executed under this scheme.

They include construction and maintenance of approach roads for level crossings, development and cleaning of silted waterways, trenches and drains along the track, construction and maintenance of approach road to railway stations, repair and widening of existing railway embankments and cuttings among others.

"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 areas/villages witnessing a large number of returnee migrant workers affected by the devastating COVID-19 on June 20 this year," the railways said.

He announced that Rs 50,000 crores would be spent for building durable rural infrastructure under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, it said.

This scheme of 125 days is being undertaken in mission mode and involves focused implementation of 25 categories of works and activities in 116 districts, each with a large concentration of returnee migrant workers in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha.

Public works being undertaken under this scheme will have a resource envelope of Rs 50,000 crore.

The scheme is a convergent effort between 12 different ministries and departments, namely -- 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, to expedite implementation of 25 public infrastructure works and works relating to augmentation of livelihood opportunities.