In light of the surging COVID case, lockdowns in various states, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the poor, the Government of India has decided to allocate food grains 5 kg per person per month for free to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) for next two months. Therefore, the scheme will come into effect for May and June 2021 on the same pattern as the earlier “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY)”.
Under this special scheme (PMGKAY), around 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries covered under both categories of NFSA, namely Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Householders (PHH), will be provided with the additional quota of free-of-cost foodgrains (Rice/Wheat) at a scale of 5 kg per person per month, over and above their regular monthly entitlements under NFSA.
The Government of India will bear the full expenditure of over Rs 26,000 crore on account of the cost of food grains, intrastate transportation, etc. as part of central assistance to States/UTs.
(With inputs from PIB)
