Centre To Spend Rs 93,869 Crore This Year On Free Foodgrains Scheme: Nirmala Sitharaman

The total financial implication is estimated at Rs 2,27,841 crore for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The Centre will spend Rs 93,869 crore this year to provide 5 kg of foodgrains per month free of cost to over 80 crore people during May-November for providing relief to poor amid the second wave of COVID-19, the finance minister said on Monday. Last year, the Centre had launched the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) to provide free foodgrains to over 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), as part of its effort to reduce the hardships of people during the pandemic. The scheme was operational during April-November period of 2020. After the outbreak of the second wave in April 2021, the PMGKAY scheme was reintroduced, initially for May-June and then extended till November this year.