Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

Why is in news? Govt extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana by another three months

The Cabinet decision to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will benefit crores of people across India and ensure support during this festive season from October to December.

It is a food security welfare scheme announced by the Government of India on March 26 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

The program 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 poorest citizens of India by providing grain through the Public Distribution System, to all the priority households (ration card holders and those identified by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme).

PMGKAY provides 5 kg of rice or wheat (according to regional dietary preferences) per person and 1 kg of dal to each family holding a ration card.

The scale of this welfare scheme makes it the largest food security program in the world.

It was initially announced for a three month period (April, May and June 2020), covering 80 crore ration cardholders. Later it was extended.

Government of India will bear all expenditure of over Rs. 26,000 crore on account of food subsidy and Central assistance to states/UTs on account of intra-state transportation etc.

A key issue is that the beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act are based on the last census (2011). The number of food-insecure people has increased since then and they remain uncovered