Centre Extends Free Ration scheme for 3 months

Published
29th Sep, 2022

Context

The Central government recently announced an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) for another three months until December 2022.

About

About PMGK Anna Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is a free food grain scheme introduced in March 2020
Objective: To alleviate Covid distress.
The scheme as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to supply free food grains to migrants and poor.
Different Phases:
- Phase-I and Phase-II of this scheme was operational from April to June, 2020 and July to November, 2020 respectively.
- Phase-III of the scheme was operational from May to June, 2021.
- Phase-IV of the scheme during July-November, 2021 and
- Phase V from December 2021 till March, 2022.
- Phase VI from April-September, 2022.
  - Financial implication for the Central government has been about Rs. 3.45 Lakh Crore upto Phase-VI of PMGKAY.
- The PMGKAY scheme for Phase VII from September to December 2022 would entail an estimated additional food subsidy of 44,762 Crore.
  - The total outgo in terms of food grains for PMGKAY Phase VII is likely to be about 122 LMT.
Benefits allocated:
- PMGKAY beneficiaries get 5kg free ration per person per month in addition to their normal quota of food grains under the National Food Security Act.
- Under NFSA, highly subsidised food grains are provided to about 75% rural and 50% urban population of the country.
Eligibility:
- Families belonging to the Below Poverty Line - Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) categories will be eligible for the scheme.
- AAY families are to be identified by States/UTs as per the criteria prescribed by the Central Government.
- Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
- All primitive tribal
- Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers, and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector are included under the scheme.