The Centre extended Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) to provide 5 kg of foodgrains free of cost to the poor by six months till September 30 (Phase VI) at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore.

In the last two years, around Rs 2.6 lakh crore has already been spent under this scheme and it will cost another Rs 80,000 crore with the extension of six months.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

• In March 2020, the Centre launched the scheme to provide free 5 kg food grains per person per month to over 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to reduce the hardships of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 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 COVID 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).

• Under the extended PMGKAY each beneficiary will get an additional 5 kg free ration per person per month in addition to his normal quota of foodgrains under the NFSA.

• The additional free grains are over and above the normal quota provided under the NFSA at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg.

• The government had allocated about 759 lakh tonnes of free foodgrains under the PM-GKAY till Phase V.

• With another 244 lakh tonnes of free foodgrains under this extension (Phase VI), the aggregate allocation of free food grains under the PMGKAY now stands at 1,003 lakh tonnes of foodgrains.

• 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.

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