The Indian Railways is all set to create huge employment opportunities by generating 8 lakh man-days of work under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan Scheme. Reportedly, this will create employment opportunities for around 15 lakh migrant workers in the country. Taking the hit of the economic crisis in the aftermaths of the COVID-19 related lockdown, workers across the length and breadth of the country lost their jobs and was left with no option but to make their way back to their native places. However, as per the latest tweets by the Ministry of Railways, the Indian Railways is all set to create employment opportunities in various infrastructure projects. As per media reports, the Indian Railways have identified different infrastructure development projects that can be executed through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. In recently released official media statements, Indian Railways spokesperson has indicated that around 160 different types of infrastructure works were identified which needs to be executed urgently.
In official media statements issued earlier this week, Indian Railways has indicated that it will produce 8 lakh man-days of work that has the potential to employ migrant workers. The work is in various infrastructure projects of the Railways amounting to a total project worth Rs 1800 crores. Indian Railways has indicated in recent media statements that it will create employment opportunities for migrant workers in the next 125 days till October 31. Reportedly, this will create employment opportunities for approximately 15 lakh migrant workers in more than 22 districts in the country.
The significant employment opportunities amidst the COVID-19 crisis can bring an air of relief to such workers who lost their earning sources after the lockdown was imposed. According to Railway officials, the initiative is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan Scheme that is being implemented across 116 districts of six Indian states. In this context, Chairman of Railway Board, Mr. Vinod Kumar Yadav conducted an online meeting with General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers and Managing Directors of various PSUs to track the progress of the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan Scheme. Accordingly, it was decided to appoint nodal officers across the 116 districts.
The appointment of the nodal officers will increase the coordination with the state governments of the six states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Amidst the grave economic situation characterized by unemployment of numerous migrant laborers, these infrastructure development projects of the Railway can be the source of livelihood for many and tackle the economic crisis to some extent. The development works are identified in the areas of construction and maintenance of level crossing roadways, development, and maintenance of track-sided trenches, drains, development, expansion, and repair of existing railway embankments, planting of trees, and more. Incidentally, this is not the first instance of the Indian Railways using the MGNREGA scheme for their development projects and creating employment opportunities for the rural population of the nation.
