Food and Consumer Affairs Secretary in the Central Government Sudhanshu Pandey said on Friday that there is no proposal to extend free ration distribution under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beyond November.
New Delhi. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana ie PMGKAY, the poor may not get free ration after November. In fact, Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Food and Consumer Affairs in the Central Government, said on Friday that there is no proposal to extend the distribution of free ration under this scheme beyond November. Pandey said that the country’s economy is getting back on track, that is why there is no proposal to pursue the scheme of providing free ration.
It is worth noting that since last year, under this scheme, free ration is being provided to poor families by the central government. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was announced in March last year. Initially this scheme was launched for the period April-June 2020, but later it was extended till November 30, 2021.
The Food Secretary said, “Since the economy is getting back on track and our OMSS (Open Market Sale Scheme) has also been good this year. So there is no proposal to extend PMGKAY.”
In addition to subsidized food grains, free ration is given
to more than 80 crore people. 5 kg of free wheat/rice per month along with 1 kg of free whole gram is being provided to each family under PMGKAY. Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 80 crore ration card holders have been identified for free ration. They are given free ration in addition to the subsidized food grains distributed through ration shops.
