Railways generated 1.6 lakh man-days of work in four weeks: Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav

The Indian Railways generated 1.6 lakh man-days of work in 4 weeks and spent Rs 608 crore under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.

Under the programme, the Railways has identified 160 infrastructure works to provide employment to the labourers who returned to their villages due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav told reporters here.

The works undertaken include construction and maintenance of approach roads for level crossings; development and cleaning of silted waterways, trenches and drains along tracks; construction and maintenance of approach road to railway stations; repair and widening of existing railway embankments/cuttings; plantation at the extreme boundary of railway land; and protection works of existing embankments/cuttings/bridges.

Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is in operation in 116 identified districts of six states - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand.

It has envisaged generating roughly around 8 lakh man-days of employment by the end of October, spending approximately Rs 1,800 crore.

Railways zones have also been instructed to get sanction for proposed works under MGNREGS. Zonal Railways would be monitoring the works on a daily basis and submit a report to the ministry every Friday till the end of October 2020.