PMGKAY: Wheat allocation to be cut, rice to go up for beneficiaries

The government will increase allocation of rice and decrease that of wheat to beneficiaries under its free grains programme as part of efforts to ensure availability of wheat in the domestic market amid a forecast of reduced crop yield this year.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), 800 million poor people are entitled to 5 kg free foodgrain every month.

According to a letter from the food ministry to the Food Corporation of India, allocation of wheat has been reduced to 7.1 mt from 18.2 million tonnes (MT). Rice allocation has been increased from 21.6MT to 32.7 MT.

An early increase in temperature across India has affected the wheat crop, leading experts to predict a poor harvest this year.