By Manoj Pathak

Ranchi, Jul 17 (IANS): A mobile app introduced by the Rural Development Department is a new silver lining for the migrants who have returned to Jharkhand from various metros after the lockdown due to the outbreak of the corona pandemic.

With the help of 'Mission Saksham App' the department has collected the data of migrants about their abilities, interest, skills and other things, and is now in the process of providing jobs to these people. So far, a database of around 4.56 lakh people has been prepared.

Aradhana Patnaik, Secretary of the Department, said that according to the survey, 37.2 per cent of the total migrants are interested in farming and are willing to start an agricultural based livelihood, while 13.8 per cent expressed their desire to make animal husbandry a means of employment. Some 3.42 lakh people are willing to work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

She said that under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, financial assistance was also extended to millions of families through the women of Sakhi Mandal under Covid relief aid. Recently, an amount of Rs 75 crore was made available to the 50,000 Sakhi Mandals of the state by the Chief Minister. So far, 80,000 Sakhi Mandals have been given Rs 120 crores, benefiting about 10 lakh families of the state.

Rajiv Kumar, CEO of Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society, under the Department, said that on the instructions of Patnaik, migrants who want to join the agriculture, animal husbandry and allied sectors for self-employment are being linked with the National Rural Livelihood Mission which can provide immediate relief.

He said, "There are preparations to connect the willing migrant women to the Sakhi Mandal by means of livelihood. In this, the willing migrants are being connected to the farming activities under which seeds have been made available to them."

He added, "Seed distribution and kitchen kit including Arhar, Maize, Millet, Urad, Moong, Groundnut are being made available to the women of Sakhi Mandal which also includes the families of the migrants."

Kumar claimed that so far 4,370.49 quintal seeds have been distributed across the state.

In the time of Covid-19, women of Sakhi Mandal are playing an important role in the maintenance of their families. Vijay Bhuyan, a migrant from Narayanpur in Pratappur block of Chatra, used to work as an auto driver in Ranchi but in the lockdown he lost his job. Now, his wife Kavita Devi fulfilled his dream of buying an auto by taking a loan from credit linkage through Durga Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal.

Apart from this, there are many women who are playing vital roles in their families welfare.