The central authorities on Wednesday prolonged the ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme’ to offer 5 kg of free foodgrains monthly to 81 crore poor for another 5 years. This shall be applied from January 1, 2024.
Under this scheme, the Centre has been offering meals grains freed from value to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority households (PHH) beneficiaries beneath PMGKAY for a interval of 1 yr starting from 1st January 2023.
Giving particulars concerning the authorities’s newest choice, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur stated the round 13.50 crore Indians rose above the poverty stage within the final 5 years. “This is a big achievement of the Modi Government. Similarly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was introduced. It has been was decided that this scheme would be extended for the next five years with effect from 1st January 2024,” Thakur added.
The minister outlined that the expenditure on the scheme shall be round Rs 11.8 lakh crore over the span of the subsequent 5 years.
PMGKAY launched in 2020
In December final yr, the Centre determined to merge the PMGKAY with the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The PMGKAY was launched in 2020 to offer further meals grains freed from value. Under the NFSA, as much as 75 per cent of the agricultural inhabitants and 50 per cent of the city inhabitants are being coated beneath two classes — Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and precedence households.
While AAY households, which represent the poorest of the poor, are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per household monthly, precedence households get 5 kg per individual monthly. According to authorities officers, the NFSA 2013 supplies for protection of as much as 75% of the agricultural inhabitants and as much as 50% of the city inhabitants, which as per Census 2011 involves 81.35 crore folks.
About PMGKAY scheme
It must be talked about right here that Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is a scheme as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to provide free meals grains to migrants and the poor. The scheme supplies 5 kg of meals grain to every household holding a ration card freed from value and the 5 kg of sponsored meals grain already supplied by means of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Wheat has been allotted to six States/UTs, – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Gujarat, and rice has been supplied to the remaining States/UTs.
(With inputs from companies)
