The Cabinet on Wednesday approved allocation of additional foodgrain under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Phase III for the months of May and June, 2021, an official statement said.
The Cabinet’s approval was “ex-post facto”, meaning the programme announced last month is already under implementation.
The allocation of additional foodgrain free of cost to approximately 798 million beneficiaries stands at 5 kg per person per month. It would entail an estimated food subsidy of ₹25,332.92 crore, an official statement said.
According to official data, the Food Corporation of India currently has 77 million tonnes of foodgrains, 3.6 times more than the required emergency reserve for this time of the year.
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Nearly 810 million qualify for subsidised foodgrains under the food security law, under which beneficiaries get 5kg of wheat or rice covers per person per month. The Act applies to 67% of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban pockets).
The Centre will “bear full expenditure” of over ₹26,000 crore for the additional foodgrain allocation to the beneficiaries as part of Central assistance to states, an official said.
{{/usCountry}}The Centre will “bear full expenditure” of over ₹26,000 crore for the additional foodgrain allocation to the beneficiaries as part of Central assistance to states, an official said.
{{/usCountry}}Record Covid-19 infections and a crippled healthcare system have already left migrant workers jobless and hit the income of the poor due to lockdown-like restrictions in many states, as authorities battle the pandemic.