PM Narendra Modi launches 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan': Key points

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the mega 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' aimed to boost livelihood opportunities in rural India amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
In a curtain raiser event 2 days ago, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Rs 50,000-crore employment scheme will provide income support to migrant workers who returned to their native states during the lockdown period.It will primarily focus on six states to where maximum migrant workers have returned.
Here are the key points from PM Modi's address:
* The 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' campaign is for our 'shramik' workers who returned to their villages during the lockdown. They want to put their skills to use and contribute to the development of their villages.
* The campaign is of 125 days, which will work in mission mode. It will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country on the other, with a resource envelope of Rs 50,000 crore.
* Migrant workers engaged in every type of profession will get work in 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan', skill mapping of workers has been done, women will be linked with self-help groups so that they are able to get maximum items for their family.
* The jobs selected in the campaign will enable proper utilisation of the strength and skill of our people, it will enable us to convert Covid crisis into an opportunity.
* A total of 116 districts with more than 25,000 migrant workers each across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have been chosen for the campaign and includes 27 aspirational districts.
* The 25 schemes of the government will be brought together and would help build gram panchayat bhawans and aganwadi centres, assist in national highway works, railway works and water conservation projects among others.
* Rs 50,000 crore will be spent on the campaign to enable migrant workers to perform public works such as rural houses, drinking water and sanitation, rural roads and also modern facilities which are required in each village.
* For first time, internet is being used more in villages. The campaign will contribute towards provision of modern facilities, such as internet connectivity, laying of optic fibre cables, to increase internet speed in villages, so that children in villages are able to study and learn like those in cities.
* We started the One Nation, One Ration card scheme so that workers can obtain foodgrain from any part of the country with ease.
* The migrant workers will be able to get employment near their homes through this campaign.
* Some migrant workers who were quarantined in a government school in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh decided to utilise their skills and time during the quarantine period. They painted the entire school and made it a beautiful place. This was my motivation to launch the 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan'.
* My labourer friends, the country understands your emotions & your needs. 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan' starting from Khagaria, Bihar is a major tool to fulfil this need & emotion.
* We have enabled farmers to chose and sell their produce to the seller of their choice, depending upon where he obtains the best price.
* Every Indian can be proud of the way our villages faced Covid, our rural governance systems and field level workers such as Asha workers who built public awareness in rural areas have played a very important role in this success.
* The Centre understands the self-respect of a rural worker, we will make sure that no one in villages needs to depend on borrowings during this period.
* The 'Abhiyaan' will be of immense help to women's self help groups, we have a lot to learn from villages, I salute you for enabling our people to fight with Covid.
* Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the entire world but the way our villages have fought this situation is a lesson for people in cities too.
* When Covid started to spread, the effort of the government has been to provide support to people at the place where they were; despite such a big crisis that shook the world, our people faced it bravely.
* The population in our villages is more than the total population of countries like Australia, US, Russia taken together. The manner in which they have curbed the spread of the virus is commendable.
* I will always heap praises on the villagers and I salute them for their efforts in fighting this situation.
* A new and unique testing machine has been launched in Patna which will enable testing of about 1,500 people at a time. I congratulate Bihar for this new development.