NEW DELHI: The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was extended by the government on Thursday for an additional three months, from October 1 to December 31.

The decision was taken in the Union Cabinet  meeting held earlier in the day.

The programme had been extended for a further six months in March 2022, and it was now coming to a close on September 30.

According to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, 122 lakh metric tonnes of food grains will be supplied during this time. As per statement from government sources, the distribution of food grains will benefit more than 80 crore beneficiaries through December 2022.

1,121 lakh metric tonnes of food grains have been delivered throughout the course of the scheme's first seven stages, which ran from April 2020 to September 30, 2022, and cost Rs 3.91 lakh crore.

In order to prevent hunger-related deaths during the pandemic, free food grains were distributed. This is also being done throughout the festival season, according to Thakur.

The minister said that it was the duty of the government to consider the welfare of the poor while addressing the question of whether the government had an adequate supply of wheat and rice for distribution under the programme.

Under this scheme, 5 kilogram ration per individual is given to beneficiaries. This is in addition to the ration provided under the public distribution system.

What is PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana: In March 2020, when the country was under lockdown because of the Corona epidemic, the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was launched. This programme originally ran from April to June 2020.

Then it was extended and put into effect until November 2021. In this manner, the design keeps expanding. 80 crore individuals receive 5 kg of wheat or rice and 1 kg of gramme each month through the Garib Kalyan Yojana. This grain is distributed through ration stores.

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