Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the country over the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis. Announcing a relief, the PM said that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will be extended till Diwali.
"During this time to crisis, the government is with the poor. Free food grains will be available in fixed quantity every month for over 800 million citizens till November," the Prime Minister said.
"Today, the government has decided that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will now be extended till Diwali. That is, by November, free food grains will be available in fixed quantity every month to more than 80 crore countrymen," the Prime Minister said.
The PMGKAY scheme is a food security welfare scheme announced by the government of India in March 2020 during Covid-19 pandemic.
The programme 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).
Under the PMGKAY, 5 kg of rice or wheat (according to regional dietary preferences) per person and 1 kg of pulse to each family holding a ration card is provided. The scale of this welfare scheme makes it the largest food security programme in the world.
