Governance
Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
- 19 Jun 2020
- 5 min read
Why in News
The Government of India has decided to launch a rural public works scheme ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ through video-conferencing from village Telihar in Khagaria district of Bihar on 20th June 2020.
Key Points
- Beneficiaries: The scheme will empower and provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens who have returned to their home states due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
- Duration and Outlay: This campaign will work in mission mode for 125 days with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore.
- Coverage: A total of 116 districts across six states, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha (where maximum migrant workers have returned) have been chosen for the campaign.
- These districts are estimated to cover about 2/3 of such migrant workers.
- The chosen districts include 27 Aspirational Districts.
- Aspirational Districts are those districts in India which are affected by poor socio-economic indicators. These are aspirational in the context, that improvement in these districts can lead to the overall improvement in human development in India. It is a NITI Aayog’s Programme.
- Implementation: It will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to the migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country on the other hand.
- The workers will help build gram panchayat bhawans and anganwadi centres, national highway works, railway works and water conservation projects, among others across six states.
- Participants: 12 different Ministries/Departments, namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, Mines, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Environment, Railways, etc. will be coordinating for the implementation of the scheme.
- Connectivity: The villages will join this programme through the Common Service Centres (CSCs) and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) maintaining the norms of social distancing in the wake of the pandemic.
Common Service Centres
- Common Services Centres are a strategic cornerstone of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
- It was approved in May 2006 to introduce e-governance on a massive scale under the National Common Minimum Programme.
- Objective: To provide high quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services.
- A highlight of the CSCs is that it offers web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including application forms, certificates and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills.
Krishi Vigyan Kendras
- It is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).
- India has one of the largest national agricultural research systems in the world. It consists of scientists, technical staff, administration support staff and auxiliary staff.
- Such a large number of research and other personnel are required because India is blessed with a variety of agro-climatic conditions and it conducts research on all aspects of agriculture to suit these diversified conditions.
- The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry.
- Aim: Assessment of location specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.
- KVKs also produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, livestock) and make it available to farmers.
- The KVK scheme is 100% financed by the Government of India and funds are sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, related Government Departments and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture.
- These are crucial to fulfilling the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
