NEW DELHI: The Centre wants states to distribute grains allocated under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) separately from the quantity distributed under National Food Security Scheme (NFSA). The government has put more focus on making the PMGKAY more popular among people as a mega welfare scheme to help the poor who have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
While each of the nearly 81 crore beneficiaries are entitled to get 5 kg of foodgrain every month at highly subsidized rates under NFSA, the similar quantity grain is provided to them till November for free. “We are insisting states to distribute grains allocated under the NFSA and PMGKAY separately,” Union food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said.
Responding to a question from TOI about the rationale behind such insistence, Pandey said the beneficiaries are not misled. He added the entire quantity under NFSA and PMGKAY can be distributed simultaneously by the ration shop owners, but they must complete two separate transactions; one for free grain and another for the grain brought at subsidized rate.
So far seven states have distributed about 14,700 tonnes of food grain under the fourth phase of PMGKAY. Pandey said there was a delay as states follow different cycles of distribution of ration. However, the distribution is picking up in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, he added.
On the wheat procurement, the food secretary said the Centre transferred Rs 84,369 crore to the accounts of 49.16 lakh wheat farmers during the current Rabi Marketing Season (RMS), with a maximum Rs 26,000 crore paid to 8.85 lakh farmers in Punjab. Similarly, nearly 7.6 lakh farmers in Haryana have got Rs 16,706 crore in their bank accounts due to direct transfer of the MSP amount.
It also said the quantity of paddy procured this year for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21 has been 862 lakh tonnes procured surpassing last year’s 771 lakh tonnes. It said the procurement continues and may reach around 900 lakh tonnes. Nearly 1.27 crore paddy farmers have received Rs 1.52 lakh crore of MSP for paddy.
View More | Source: Times of India