Covid-19 impact: Govt plans job scheme for urban poor and migrants

It could be a new scheme or modified version of an existing employment programme, officials say

The Central government is considering an employment scheme for the poor and migrants in urban and sub-urban parts of the country, as job creation becomes the biggest priority for the administration trying to steer the country out of an economic decline, made worse by the pandemic.

While internal discussion is going on, the plan could mature into either an umbrella programme for urban youths similar to the Garib Kalyan Rozgaar Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, or a modified urban-focused version of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Business Standard has learnt.

“Urban employment