Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
In News: The Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan (PMGK) package was recently unveiled amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a Rs 50,000 crore dedicated programme to create jobs for millions of migrant workers who returned home during the coronavirus-induced lockdown across the country.
Launched by Modi over a video conference at Khagaria district’s Telihar village in Bihar
The campaign will be run on a mission mode for 125 days, involving intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide jobs to the migrant workers.
Objectives
Provide livelihood opportunity to returning migrants and similarly affected rural citizens
Saturate villages with public infrastructure and create livelihood opportunities viz. Roads, Housing, Anganwadis, Panchayat Bhavans, various livelihood assets and Community Complexes among others
The basket of a wide variety of works will ensure that each migrant worker is able to get an opportunity of employment according to his skill, in the coming 125 days. The Program will also prepare for expansion and development of livelihoods over a longer term.
Features
Abhiyaan focuses on durable rural infrastructure and providing modern facilities like internet in the villages
Skill mapping of the rural migrant labour being done to help them work closer home
25 work areas have been identified for employment in villages, for development of various works. These 25 works or projects are related to meet the needs of the villages like rural housing for the poor, Plantations, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan mission, Panchayat Bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, other infrastructure like Cattle Sheds, Anganwadi Bhavans etc.
High speed and cheap internet be provided in every rural household to help the youth and children.Hence the laying of fibre cable and provision of internet are also made a part of the Abhiyan.
Farmers are being directly linked to the market and that the Government has provided an investment of Rs 1,00,000 Crore for linkages like cold storage etc. This Abhiyaan of 125 days, will work in mission mode, will involve focused implementation of 25 categories of works/ activities in 116 districts, each with a large concentration of returnee migrant workers in 6 states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. Public works to be undertaken during this campaign will have a resource envelope of Rs. 50,000 crores.
The Abhiyaan will be a convergent effort between 12 different Ministries/Departments, namely; Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport & Highways, Mines, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, New & Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture, to expedite implementation of 25 public infrastructure works and works relating to augmentation of livelihood opportunities.
The statement did not make it clear but the new scheme may run in tandem with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme that allows for 100 days of work for members of rural households. The rural job guarantee scheme has seen record enrolments in rural areas following the large scale migration of lakhs of workers from their places of employment in cities and towns to the rural areas after the lockdown was imposed from 25 March.
Conclusion
Besides agricultural activities, rural economy offers largely informal and casual works. The promotion of formal employment opportunities, hand holding of rural industries and a better supply chain eco-system will be helpful. Reverse migration due to the pandemic and lockdown and income loss has the potential to push people into poverty in the country. But economic migration has its side effects and unless we fix the jobs and income issues at the district level, it won’t stop.
Connecting the Dots:
Will the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan prove to be a sustainable scheme in the long run? Discuss.
India is not ready to deal with another migration crisis. Examine.
