Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan to make poor self-reliant: Pradhan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the lockdown, the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas. Launching the ''Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan'', the Prime Minister said there are some people who may not appreciate efforts of villagers in the fight against the novel coronavirus but he applauds them for their efforts.

Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan is a step towards making the country's poor population self-reliant, Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the lockdown, the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas.

Launching the ''Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan'', the Prime Minister said there are some people who may not appreciate efforts of villagers in the fight against the novel coronavirus but he applauds them for their efforts. The way villages have fought coronavirus has taught a big lesson to the cities. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is consistently working towards the welfare of our rural poor and labourers. I welcome Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan. It is an important step towards making our poor population self-reliant," Pradhan said in a statement.

The objective of this Abhiyaan, Pradhan said, is to generate livelihood opportunities, protect their self-esteem and facilitate rural development. Under the initiative, workers will be provided employment opportunities in their own village in accordance with their interest and skills, he said.

Due to COVID-19 outbreak, people working in different parts of the country returned to their home states, leaving their jobs. "The displaced workers of 116 districts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Jharkhand will be provided livelihood opportunities in 25 different types of works related to the basic amenities of the villages at a cost of Rs 50,000 crores to improve their lives during challenging times," Pradhan said.

The minister also thanked the Prime Minister for integrating works related to Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana with Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan which would help the development of eastern India.