Scheme to distribute free 5 kg foodgrains to poor extended by five years

The government has extended the PMGKAY scheme to provide 5 kg  free foodgrains per month to around 80 crore poor people for another five years.

A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday.

Giving details on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been extended for another five years from January 1, 2024.

The scheme was last extended till December 31, 2023.

The minister said the expenditure on scheme will be around Rs 11.8 lakh crore during the next five years.

PMGKAY was introduced in 2020 as a pandemic relief measure, under which 5 kg of free foodgrains per beneficiary per month was provided in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised foodgrain under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

In December 2022, as PMGKAY came to an end after multiple extensions, it was subsumed under the NFSA providing ration free for one year.