Maarg Manthan · Topic 7.6

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Employment and Livelihood Schemes · Topic 7.6

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) was a 125-day mission launched on 20 June 2020 from Telihar village in Khagaria district of Bihar, to give employment and livelihood to migrant workers who returned home during the COVID-19 lockdown. It covered 116 districts in six States, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha, with an outlay of about Rs 50,000 crore. It converged 25 types of public works of 12 Central ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Rural Development. The campaign ended on 22 October 2020, and it was not renewed as a standalone programme.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Employment and Livelihood Schemes

At a Glance

Launched 20 June 2020, Khagaria, Bihar
Duration 125 days, to 22 October 2020
Coverage 116 districts in 6 States
Outlay About Rs 50,000 crore
Target Returning migrant workers
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Employment and Livelihood Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the macro on employment and livelihood. It is a short, time-bound campaign that sits next to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana as part of the pandemic response, and it is a favourite of current affairs questions on migration. Previous topic: Aajeevika – National Rural Livelihoods Mission. Next topic: Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana.

What Was Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan?

Feature	Detail
Launch	20 June 2020 by the Prime Minister through video link from Telihar village, Beldaur block, Khagaria district, Bihar
Background	After the national lockdown of March 2020 to contain COVID-19, lakhs of migrant workers returned to their villages and lost their income
Duration	125 days, ending on 22 October 2020
Coverage	116 districts in six States, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha, chosen for the high number of returning workers, with at least 25,000 workers each
Approach	Convergence of 25 types of works of 12 ministries and departments, such as rural housing, roads, anganwadi centres, community toilets, water conservation and plantation
Nodal ministry	Ministry of Rural Development, with a mission team of Central officers and a nodal officer in each district
Outlay	About Rs 50,000 crore, drawn from existing budgets of the participating schemes and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

What Did It Achieve and What Did It Teach?

Reported results: Government statements after the campaign reported about 50 crore person-days of work and spending of about Rs 39,000 crore. Treat these as reported figures
Types of work: Rural infrastructure such as Panchayat Bhawans, community sanitary complexes, Rural Mandis, cattle sheds and farm ponds
Skill mapping: Workers were mapped by skills so that those with skills could be linked to jobs and training
Link with other schemes: Work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act continued as the main source of wage work
Limits: It was a temporary crisis response and it did not make a lasting plan for the return of workers to cities
Lesson: India needs a portable system for migrant workers, as in Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana for formal jobs

What Else Should You Remember?

Atmanirbhar Bharat: The campaign came under the economic package announced in May 2020, which was valued at about Rs 20 lakh crore
Convergence model: Instead of a new scheme with new money, existing schemes were put together in selected districts, and this is a good example of convergence
Selected States: The six States account for a large share of migrant workers in the country
Works by ministry: Ministries included Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport, Mines, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum, New and Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture
Wage work: Most jobs were manual labour at or near the statutory wage rate
Migration facts: The Economic Survey and other reports used the pandemic to count interstate migrants, and the One Nation One Ration Card and e-Shram were pushed after the crisis
Related law: The Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 was merged into the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
Evaluation: Independent evaluation of the job quality, wages paid and the number of workers who stayed on after the campaign is limited
Reverse migration: Many workers returned to cities within months, which shows that village public works could not replace urban earnings
Exam trap: GKRA is not a permanent scheme, so questions on its present status should say it ended in October 2020

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Date and place: 20 June 2020, Khagaria, Bihar
Coverage: 116 districts and six States
Duration and outlay: 125 days and about Rs 50,000 crore
Works: 25 types of works from 12 ministries
Common errors: Saying that it is a continuing scheme or that it covers all States

As an analytical point, the campaign showed that convergence can deploy public works fast in a crisis, but a temporary drive cannot replace a standing system of portable benefits, skills mapping and urban housing for migrant workers.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Facts Date, place, districts
Convergence A case study for GS 2
Migration Link to pandemic and e-Shram

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the formal sector incentive scheme that was launched in October 2020. Next topic: Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana.

Key People and Terms

GKRA Campaign for returning migrants
Convergence Pooling of schemes
Person-days Unit of wage work
Reverse migration Return from cities to villages
Telihar Launch village in Khagaria

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Launched: 20 June 2020.
Duration: 125 days.
Districts: 116 in 6 States.
Works: 25 types.
Ended: 22 October 2020.

Do Not Confuse With

GKRA and MGNREGA Temporary campaign versus standing legal guarantee
GKRA and ABRY Rural public works versus formal sector hiring incentive
GKRA and One Nation One Ration Card Jobs campaign versus portability of food rights

Memory Hook

One hundred twenty-five days, one hundred sixteen districts, six States, twenty-five kinds of work.

Mains Angle

Questions use this campaign to test ideas on migration and crisis response. These points give a balanced frame.

Strengths Fast convergence and targeted districts
Weaknesses Short period, manual work and weak follow-up
Way forward Portable benefits, skill mapping and urban housing for migrants

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Critically evaluate the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan as a response to the reverse migration of 2020 and suggest long-term measures for migrant workers.”

How to Answer

Introduce Campaign, date, coverage.
Merits Convergence and speed.
Limits Short and manual work.
Way Portability, skills, housing.

GS Relevance

Prelims: launch, districts, States, duration, outlay. GS Paper 2: government policies and interventions, vulnerable sections. GS Paper 3: employment, effects of the pandemic on the economy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan?

It was a 125-day campaign launched on 20 June 2020 from Khagaria in Bihar to give work to migrant workers who returned home during the COVID-19 lockdown. It covered 116 districts in six States and brought together 25 types of public works of 12 Central ministries, with an outlay of about Rs 50,000 crore.

Which States were covered under GKRA?

The campaign covered 116 districts in six States: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. These were chosen because each district had at least 25,000 returning migrant workers, and the six States together account for a large share of the migrants who went back home in 2020.

Is Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan still running?

No. The campaign was designed for 125 days and ended on 22 October 2020. It was not made a permanent scheme. Rural wage work continues under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, and later schemes such as e-Shram deal with the registration of migrant and other unorganised workers.

How was GKRA different from MGNREGA?

MGNREGA is a standing law that gives a legal right to 100 days of wage work to rural households on demand. GKRA was a temporary campaign that pooled 25 kinds of works from several ministries in selected districts for 125 days, focused on returning migrant workers and on building rural infrastructure.

What was the main lesson of GKRA?

The campaign showed that convergence of existing schemes can create work quickly in a crisis. It also showed that temporary village works cannot replace urban earnings, so portable benefits, skill mapping, migrant registration and better housing in cities are needed for long-term protection of migrant workers.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan was launched from Khagaria in Bihar.

True

It began on 20 June 2020.

2 The campaign covered all districts of India.

False

It covered 116 districts in six States.

3 It was a 125-day campaign for returning migrant workers.