The govt on Friday, announced that 5 kg of food grains would be provided to 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for the months of May and June. The declaration came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Chief Ministers, especially of States with high COVID-19 case burden. The outlay for the free grain programme has been pegged at ₹26,000 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that it is important that the poor of the country have nutritional support when the country is facing the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.
The free food grains distribution scheme under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was extended in June for five months till November 2020 with an additional estimated outlay of ₹90,000 crore. The extension of the scheme was announced by the Prime Minister last year when the country was entering the ‘unlock’ phase from the nationwide lockdown imposed to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and to support the poor affected by the halt in the economic activities. The scheme has been rolled out again for the next two months as the country’s healthcare infrastructure has reached its capacity and several states have taken steps like complete lockdown, night curfew to contain the spread of the disease. Under the scheme, additional 5 kg wheat and rice along with 1 kg pulses to each family per month was provided to beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). But this year, only grains will be given.