PM Modi Launches Rs 50,000 Crore 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' Scheme To Create Jobs, Boost Employment In Rural India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a 50,000 crore plan for employment of migrant workers under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (PMGKRA) through video conferencing. The scheme will begin from Telihar village in the Khagaria district of Bihar.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a 50,000 crore scheme for employment of migrant workers under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (PMGKRA) through video conferencing. The scheme which aims at boosting livelihood in rural India will be implemented in 6 states and 116 districts all through the nation. It will especially focus on providing employment opportunities to those migrant workers who returned home during the nationwide lockdown which was imposed from March 24 to check the spread of coronavirus. Under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, migrant laborers will be given 125 days of employment. It will be operated in those districts of the states of the country, in which the number of migrant workers is more than 25 thousand. Among those who were present at the meeting were Union minister of rural development Narendra Singh Tomar and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. The scheme will begin from Telihar village in the Khagaria district of Bihar. During the meeting today, the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he has interacted with labourers in different districts after they returned to Bihar and he feels that the labourers are no longer interested in going to other states for employment. Watch Video:PM Modi Launches Rs 50,000 Crore 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' Scheme To Create Jobs, Boost Employment In Rural India  PMGKRA will cover India’s 116 districts across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Odisha. According to reports, West Bengal will not get the benefit of this scheme. Rural Development Minister NN Sinha said that at the time when the scheme was being prepared, West Bengal did not provide the data of the workers returning to their homes. ‘If we get the data, then in future we will definitely include them in it,’ Said Sinha. The PM during the video conference today, also lauded the efforts of rural India in fighting the spread of coronavirus. He also praised the Bihar regiment and said “I would like to mention with pride that the Bihar Regiment has shown its might, every Bihari is proud of it. I pay tribute to the heroes who have sacrificed.” On June 18, the Finance Minister had discussed the plan and said that for this scheme, 25-25 thousand workers have been selected from each state in 116 districts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. She added that the central and state governments have meticulously mapped the skill sets of the migrant workers who have returned in large numbers to over 100 districts spread out in six states in India. sHe had also said, jobs will be provided for four months in the initial installment of four months. "As we go ahead, we have to see how this works out for migrants and central government," Sitharaman said.