General

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This Blog is written by Pallabi Choudhury from KIIT School of Law, Odisha. Edited by Prakriti Dadsena.

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INTRODUCTION

The whole world is fighting against the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. The 1^st COVID-19 case was found on 30^th January 2020 in India. From mid of March lockdown started. Due to this pandemic situation, the lawyer class people suffered in terms of livelihood, transport, etc. But after that by different planning of government such as Shramika train and other facilities the migrant workers able to return their home. After that, a lot of discussion wad made that what the migrants will do? This pandemic situation left 45-60 million migrant labor with no work. Therefore they face difficulties living their livelihood. Many governmental, non-governmental NGOs took a lot of effective majors towards it. After that to add on the Prime Minister on 20^th June 2020 during “Mann ki baat launch” Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (GKRA). In this Abhiyan the government contributed 50,000 crore package to give livelihood opportunities for the returned migrants. The GKRA implemented in a mission to provide jobs and livelihood for 125 days for more than 6 million migrants. The scheme is implemented in the rural areas where maximum migrants have reached in 116 districts of 6states that is Bihar (32 district), Utter Pradesh (31 districts), Madhya Pradesh (24districts), Rajasthan (22 districts), Odisha (4 districts), Jharkhand (3 districts). This kind of scheme is functioning in rural areas under different ministers. But in this scheme 12 ministries come together for the implementation. It aggregate the funds already allocated under the 12 ministers and it covers 25 categories of work; that is

1. Community sanity complex

2. Gram panchayat bhawan

3. Work under finance commission funds

4. National highway works

5. Water conservation and Harvesting works

6. Plantation

7. Construction of wells

8. Horticulture

9. Anganwadi centers

10. Rural housing

11. Rural connectivity and border road works

12. Railway works

13. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN mission

14. PM KUSUM works

15. Laying of fiber optic cable under bharat net

16. Works under Jal Jeevan Mission

17. Works under PM Urja Ganga Project

18. Training through KVKs for livelihoods

19. Works through District Mineral Fund

20. Solid and liquid waste management

21. Farm ponds

22. Cattle sheds

23. Goat sheds

24. Poultry sheds

25. Vermicomposting

In this scheme, migrant workers engaged in any type of profession like skilled, semiskilled, and skill will get work and the skill mapping of workers also has been done. Through this scheme, not only the man but also the women also will get benefited from linked with self-help groups so that they are able to maximize sources for their family. One nation one ration card also implemented so that workers can obtain food grains from any part of the country. During the launching of this scheme prime minister also told about the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” that is to be self-independent. Cheap and fast internet is also established in every household in rural areas so that the villagers also get the benefit like the people of cities are enjoying and this will help the children to get educated. The migrants join the program through common service centre (CSCs) and Krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs).

SIGNIFICANCE

By this scheme, PM turns the challenge of unemployment to opportunity to improve the condition of villages of India. This will help migrants in many ways:

• Fulfill the primary aim of sustainable livelihood

• Worker can work in the field in which they are skilled and no need to go outside. They can live with their family. So this will strengthen the workers economically and emotionally.

• The farmers set free to sell their crops whenever and wherever they can get the best price. There is no restriction over him.

• This will help to make Atmanirbhar bharat.

• Cold storage has been made so that farmers can able to connect to the market directly. It will help the farmers to sell their crops in a good amount of money.

• The self-esteem will also be protected.

• There is a chance of maximizing the cost of workers in factories in the future.

IMPACT

There is some positive and negative impact of these schemes.

Positive impacts:

• It can improve the economy and poverty can be minimized.

• Provide immediate relief to the migrants’ families.

• Develop infrastructure in rural areas and help generate rural demand.

• Boost development of rural areas.

• It will create a lesion to the people of cities. Because it has seen from the survey that the most infected of COVID-19 are the people of cities.

• Many new production factories may be established in rural areas where they can get a good amount of workers. This will help workers and the factory owner also.

Negative impacts:

There may be a chance of a shortage of workers in the factory because the workers get work in their village only. If this will happen then there is a chance of collapsing many factories in post corona, which will ultimately decrease the economy. But in this case, there is also a positive impact that is workers will get a little bit higher wage.

CRITICISM

Some individuals including other parties also criticized the scheme. They consider this to woo voters in Bihar where the election will take place later. And some questions arises that MGNREGA is there for giving employment to the people then why they made another scheme. Also states that after the implementation of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan the migrants are getting work but the others are not getting work under MGNREGA also. This scheme is not the solution to the problem of unemployment in urban and rural areas. This scheme not even offers permanent relief to the migrants. This is only giving 125 days’ work but what after that 125 day is a big question here. And there is no clarity whether the fund that is raised is from the existing schemes or if there is an allocation of a new fund. Like this many criticisms was made.

MGNREGA AND GARIB KALYAN ROJGAR ABHIYAN

GKRA is the strengthened the form of Mahatma Gandhi’s national rural employment guarantee act. So this scheme also formed under National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, 2005. This gives the right to work for the people who don’t have work for their livelihood. There is some difference between these two schemes. GKRA is improved for this scheme.

ANALYSIS

In keeping the above discussion my opinion is that this scheme will definitely help a lot of people to earn a minimum livelihood and through this scheme, the government also be benefited by fulfilling the demand of rural areas. But correctly pointed out by the people that what after 125 days, and another thing is what about the rest migrants who are not from these 116 districts. So the government should come up with the solution for all the people who affected by this pandemic and plan to do something which will give relief to the workers after that 125 days also. Another thing is the poor people are helped by the government through different schemes and the rich can anyway live their life easier but what about the middle-class family, so the government should look into the matter of middle-class families also. For example, the person who earns on daily basis and feed his/her family like golgappa seller, but now in this crisis everything is shut then how can they will survive. Otherwise, this scheme is very helpful not only for migrant men but also for women also. This is some way of the other will lift the economy of our country.

CONCLUSION

Unemployment is the major problem during this pandemic situation of COVID-19 for the whole world which needs to be solved. So this scheme of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Yojana which is launched by our prime minister will help a lot of migrants emotionally and economically. The workers can work in their village in their personal skills only. No need have developed any new skill. This idea of this scheme arises from the workers only. As stated by our PM Modiji, he heard the news of painting the school, which is converted into quarantine center, by the migrant workers who are the professional painters who lived in that quarantine center. By this, the government implements the idea of the whole of India. This will help the workers also to gain more skills in their profession also. This system will strengthen the backbone of the rural areas and the people of rural areas will be benefited from this.