Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana(PMGKAY) is a food security welfare scheme announced by the Government of India in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. PMGKAY is operated by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The scheme aims to feed the poor citizens of India by providing grain through the Public Distribution System, to all the priority households (ration card holders).
“PMGKAY provides 5 kg of rice or wheat per person and 1 kg of dhal to each family which holds a ration card. The scale of this welfare scheme makes it the largest food security program in the world.”
PM Modi said that “under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) around 80crore people will get an additional 5kg of wheat or rice per person free from July till November 2021”, which is over and above regular quota of National Food Security Act (NFSA).
In a statement, the Food Ministry on Tuesday said till 7thJune 2021, State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI)has supplied 69 lakh tonnes of free food grains to all states and union territories. FCI is the nodal agency for procurement and distribution of food grains. It procures wheat and rice from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) to meet the food grains requirements under the NFSA and other welfare schemes.
“The Government of India will bear the entire cost on account of such distribution including food subsidy, intra-state transportation and dealer’s margin/ additional dealers margin, without any sharing by States/ UTs,” the statement said.