PM launches campaign for job opportunities for migrant workers

Khagaria/Patna, June 20 (HS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers returning to villages in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak.

The campaign focuses on durable rural infrastructure to implement Rs 50,000 crore worth projects in 125 days in 116 districts of six states. It was launched from Bihar’s Khagaria village Telihar under Beldaur block through video conferencing by the PM from Delhi and was attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his five counterparts from their respective states.

The 116 districts include 32 districts in Bihar, 31 in Uttar Pradesh, 24 in Madhya Pradesh, 22 in Rajasthan, four in Odisha and three in Jharkhand.

The PM interacted through video conferencing with the villagers of Telihar and inquired from some of the migrants their current state of employment and also whether the various welfare schemes launched during the lockdown period were available to them. Modi expressed satisfaction after his interaction and pointed out how rural India stood its ground in the fight against Covid-19 and how it was providing an inspiration to the whole country and the world in the time of crisis.

“The campaign is dedicated to our labour brothers and sisters, for the youth and daughters living in villages. It is our endeavor that through this campaign workers are given work near their homes,” the PM said and announced that an amount of Rs 50,000 crore would be spent for building durable rural infrastructure under this project.

He said 25 work areas had been identified for employment in villages, for development of various works. These works were related to meet the needs of the villages like rural housing for poor, plantation, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan mission, panchayat bhavans, community toilets , rural roads and other infrastructures like cattle sheds, anganbadi bhavans etc.

Modi said the project would also provide modern facilities that high speed and cheap internet be provided in every rural household to help the youth and children. “It is the first time that the rural areas are using more internet than the urban areas, hence the laying of fiber cable and provision of internet are also made a part of the Abhiyan,” he added.

The campaign will be a convergent effort between 12 different ministries and departments with Ministry of rural development as the nodal ministry and the campaign would be implemented in close coordination with the state governments.

Attending the programme through video conferencing from Patna, CM Nitish Kumar said he too had interacted with the workers in quarantine centres and they pledged to stay and work here. He said his government was committed that nobody should go outside under compulsion. He said his government too had launched a project worth Rs 2.30 crore in Telihar panchayat.