NEW DELHI: The Central government has named the scheme for supplying ration free of cost, under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for a period of 1 year till December 2023, as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY).
According to the plan, the Center began providing beneficiaries of the NFSA with free ration from January 1, 2023, and beyond. Free grains of grain will be distributed until December 2023. The move will cost Rs 2 lakh crore, all of which will be covered by the government.
On December 23, 2022, the Union Cabinet decided to implement the policy of providing free food grains to NFSA recipients for a 12-month term.
Over 81.35 crore NFSA beneficiaries will benefit from the move. Prior to this, the NFSA beneficiaries received rice and wheat at reduced prices.
Food grains that have been distributed since April 2020 under the former Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) would also be included in the NFSA quota.
Earlier, the beneficiaries covered under the NFSA scheme were paying a subsidised rate of Rs 1-3 per kilo till December 31, 2022. Alongside, they were also receiving free grains under the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) launched in April 2020 to provide relief to the poor during the COVID crisis. But the PMGKAY that was extended twice times ended on December 31, 2022. Thereafter, the 2 food subsidy schemes were subsumed under the new integrated scheme with the Cabinet approval.
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