Union Cabinet extends free foodgrain scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana' for six months

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Saturday (March 26, 2022) extended the free foodgrain scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY)' for another six months till September 2022.

The Phase-V of PM-GKAY scheme was to end in March 2022 and a decision in this regard was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The PM-GKAY has been under implementation since April 2020 and is said to be the largest food security program in the world. The Centre had launched the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana to provide free foodgrains to over 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) as part of its efforts to reduce the hardships of people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The Government has spent approximately Rs 2.60 Lakh Crore so far and another Rs 80,000 Crore will be spent over the next 6 months till September 2022 taking the total expenditure under PM-GKAY to nearly Rs 3.40 Lakh Crore," the Union Cabinet said.

Under the extended PM-GKAY, each beneficiary will get additional 5 kg free ration per person per month in addition to his/her normal quota of foodgrains under the NFSA. 

The benefit of free ration can be availed through portability by any migrant labour or beneficiary under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan from nearly 5 lakh ration shops across the country. So far, over 61 crore portability transactions have benefitted the beneficiaries away from their homes.

Extension of PM-GKAY will add to citizens' strength: PM Modi

Noting that India's strength lies in the power of each of its citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government decided to extend its free foodgrain programme by six more months to add to this power.

With the scheme now extended till September, he said, over 80 crore people will continue to avail the benefit like before.

भारतवर्ष का सामर्थ्य देश के एक-एक नागरिक की शक्ति में समाहित है। इस शक्ति को और मजबूती देने के लिए सरकार ने प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना को छह महीने और बढ़ाकर सितंबर 2022 तक जारी रखने का निर्णय लिया है। देश के 80 करोड़ से अधिक लोग पहले की तरह इसका लाभ उठा सकेंगे। pic.twitter.com/gasprUJIhK — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 26, 2022

Initially, in 2020-21, the PMGKAY scheme was announced only for a period of three months of April, May and June 2020 (Phase-I). Later, the government extended the scheme from July to November 2020 (Phase-II).

With the coronavirus crisis continuing in 2021-22, the Centre in April 2021 had re-introduced the scheme for a period of two months of May and June 2021 (Phase-III) and extended it for another five months from July to November 2021 (Phase-IV). The scheme was again extended from December 2021 to March 2022 (Phase-V).

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