Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the media today, ahead of the launch of the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20.
The Finance Minister said workers from all over the country wanted to go back to their villages a little after the lockdown began. The central and state govts made some arrangements, and they have gone back.
The minister informed the media in the briefing that the central and state governments have meticulously mapped the skill sets of the migrant workers who have returned in large numbers to these states during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Approximately 116 districts spread over six states have received migrants in large numbers> These states include Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
An amount of Rs 50,000 crore is being pooled together under 25 schemes to complete their projects in these 116 districts.
Sitharaman said nearly 25 schemes of the government will be brought together under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, adding that she is confident of reaching saturation levels under each of those schemes within 125 days.
These 25 schemes will include Jal Jivan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, among others. The objective of these schemes will be achieved using the workers who are present in those districts, she said.
The FM said that everyone who needs an assignment in these 116 districts will be given work under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.
The money allotted for this will be front-loaded for the 25 different works for the 116 districts, to ensure that migrant workers in all these districts are given employment, providing a direction to these workers, also helping rural asset creation. We have already released the money for the local bodies, she added.
The Prime Minister will launch the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan from Khagaria district in Bihar, under which workers will get work and their livelihood is ensured while fulfilling the objective of rural development.