Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan: Works, Districts & Final Results

What Was Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan?

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan was launched after large numbers of migrant workers returned to their home villages during the COVID-19 lockdown. Its purpose was to provide immediate livelihood opportunities while simultaneously creating durable rural infrastructure and livelihood assets.

The campaign brought together multiple existing Central Government schemes and programmes instead of creating only one new category of work. It focused implementation on selected districts with a high concentration of returnee migrant workers.

Main Objectives of the Campaign

• Provide immediate employment and livelihood opportunities to returnee migrant workers and other affected rural citizens.
• Saturate villages with useful public infrastructure.
• Create durable livelihood assets that could support longer-term income generation.
• Match available rural work with the skills of migrant workers.
• Converge multiple Central Government schemes and departments in mission mode.
• Accelerate rural works such as roads, housing, water conservation, sanitation, Anganwadi centres and Panchayat infrastructure.

The Ministry of Rural Development acted as the nodal Ministry for coordinating the campaign with participating Ministries, State Governments and district administrations.

States and Districts Covered under GKRA

The 125-day campaign focused on 116 selected districts across six States. The original State-wise coverage was:

25 Work Categories under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

The original campaign concentrated implementation on 25 categories of works and activities:

1. Construction of community sanitation centres
2. Construction of Gram Panchayat Bhawans
3. Works under Finance Commission grants
4. National Highway works
5. Water conservation and rainwater-harvesting works
6. Construction of wells
7. Plantation works
8. Horticulture works
9. Construction of Anganwadi centres
10. Rural housing works
11. Rural connectivity works
12. Solid and liquid waste-management works
13. Construction of farm ponds
14. Construction of cattle sheds
15. Construction of poultry sheds
16. Construction of goat sheds
17. Construction of vermicompost structures
18. Railway works
19. RURBAN Mission works
20. PM-KUSUM-related works
21. BharatNet works
22. CAMPA plantation works
23. PM Urja Ganga Project works
24. Krishi Vigyan Kendra training for livelihoods
25. District Mineral Foundation Trust works

How the Campaign Was Implemented

GKRA was implemented through convergence rather than as a stand-alone wage-employment statute. Twelve Central Ministries and Departments participated in the programme, and Central Nodal Officers were deployed to monitor implementation in selected districts.

The campaign used ongoing public programmes and infrastructure works, including works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and other rural-development, agriculture, highways, railways, telecom, energy, water and environment programmes.

This structure allowed districts to accelerate existing works while directing employment opportunities toward returnee migrants and other affected rural workers.

Final Results of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, the campaign generated a total of 50.78 crore person-days of employment and incurred expenditure of approximately ₹39,293 crore.

Government reporting also recorded livelihood training through Krishi Vigyan Kendras during the campaign.

Current Status in 2026

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is not an active scheme accepting new applications in 2026. It ended on 22 October 2020 after completing its 125-day mission period.

Accordingly, references to "how to apply for GKRA" or to current district eligibility would be misleading. Persons seeking rural wage employment or livelihood support should instead check the currently operating programme relevant to their circumstances.

Current Rural Employment and Livelihood Framework

Several programmes that contributed to or complemented GKRA continue independently. Depending on eligibility and location, rural households may look to programmes such as:

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS);
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin;
• National Rural Livelihoods Mission;
• Jal Jeevan Mission;
• rural road and connectivity programmes;
• agriculture, horticulture and livelihood-development schemes; and
• State-specific rural employment and skill-development programmes.

Eligibility, wages, application processes and available works under these programmes are governed by their current rules and official portals.

Key Points to Remember

• GKRA was launched on 20 June 2020.
• It was a 125-day emergency rural-employment campaign.
• The campaign ended on 22 October 2020.
• It covered 116 districts in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• The resource envelope was ₹50,000 crore.
• It focused on 25 categories of rural works and infrastructure.
• Final employment generation was 50.78 crore person-days.
• Total reported expenditure was about ₹39,293 crore.
• It should now be presented as a completed historical programme, not as an open 2026 scheme.