Cabinet approves extension of PM-GKAY till Sept 2022 for outlay of ₹88,000 crore
Premium- The decision takes the total expenditure under the scheme to nearly ₹3.4 lakh crore
NEW DELHI : The Union Cabinet Saturday approved extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) for another six months till September, 2022, with an outlay of ₹88,000 crore, taking the total expenditure under the scheme to nearly ₹3.4 lakh crore.
“In keeping with the concern and sensitivity towards poor and vulnerable sections of society, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) scheme for another six months i.e., till September 2022 (Phase VI)," the finance ministry said in a statement.
This free-food grain supply is over and above the monthly entitlement of subsidised food grain under the food security law. It covers upto three fourth of the rural population and half of the urban population. The PM-GKAY has been under implementation since April 2020, as the largest food security program in the world. The Phase-V of PM-GKAY scheme was to end in March 2022.
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.
“This will cover nearly 80 crore beneficiaries across India and like before would be fully funded by the government," the ministry said.
Under the extended PM-GKAY each beneficiary will get additional 5 kg free ration per person per month in addition to his normal quota of foodgrains under the NFSA. This means that every poor household would get nearly double the normal quantity of ration.
The government had allocated about 759 LMT of free foodgrains under the PM-GKAY till Phase V. With another 244 LMT of free foodgrains under this extension, the aggregate allocation of free foodgrains under the PM-GKAY now stand at 1,003 LMT 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.
This has been made possible due to highest ever procurement despite the century’s worst pandemic with highest ever payment to farmers by the government.
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