NEW DELHI, November 29: The government has decided to extend the PMGKAY scheme, providing 5 kilograms of free foodgrains per month to approximately 80 crore impoverished individuals, for another five years. The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
Providing details on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur announced that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) will be extended for another five years, effective from January 1, 2024. The scheme, initially introduced in 2020 as a pandemic relief measure, was last extended until December 31, 2023.
Thakur shared that the expenditure on the scheme over the next five years is estimated to be around Rs 11.8 lakh crore. PMGKAY, implemented as part of pandemic relief, provided 5 kg of free foodgrains per beneficiary per month in addition to the 5 kg of subsidized foodgrain under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
In December 2022, as PMGKAY concluded after several extensions, it was integrated into the NFSA, ensuring free ration for one year.
