Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in Madhya Pradesh on August 7, 2021, at 11 AM, via video conferencing.
An intensive campaign to create more awareness about the scheme is being conducted by the state government so that no eligible person is left out. The state will celebrate August 7, 2021 as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana Day, informed an official release by the Prime Minister's office.
Under PMGKAY, 4.83 crore beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh are getting free ration from over 25,000 fair-price shops.
Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel and CM Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan will be present on the occasion. The event will also witness the participation of Ministers and officials of the food sector from the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Haryana, and Goa.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in Gujarat and said this scheme has reduced the worries of the poor and increased their confidence.
"Today, under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, the free ration is being distributed to lakhs of families of Gujarat. This free ration reduces the worries of the poor in this time of the global pandemic and increases their confidence," the Prime Minister had said.
What is Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)?
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is a food security welfare scheme that was envisaged by the Prime Minister to provide assistance and help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.
The government launched the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in March, 2020 to distribute foodgrains quota of 5 kg per person per month free of cost to ameliorate the hardship faced by the poor due to economic disruption caused by Covid-19. The scheme provides to approximately 79.39 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Nearly 80 lakh tonne foodgrains have to be issued under the PMGKAY scheme.
This distribution is over and above the regular allocation to beneficiaries under the NFSA.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year in March, the PMGKAY scheme was launched to support the vulnerable sections of society. It was implemented during April-November 2020.
The scheme was reintroduced for May-June 2021 to deal with the impact of the second wave of the pandemic. Under the PMGKAY last year, over 200 lakh tonne of free food grains were provided amounting to a fiscal outgo of over Rs 75,000 crore, covering 80.96 crores NFSA beneficiaries. About 1.3 lakh tonne of wheat and rice have been provided to 2.6 crore beneficiaries till June.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI
