Free foodgrains distribution under PMGKAY: Centre

The Centre on Wednesday said that the integrated food security scheme has been named as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), under which free foodgrains are being given to more than 80 crore poor people from January 1.

"The new scheme has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)," the food ministry said in a statement.

In order to maintain uniformity across the states, free foodgrains will be provided under the PMGKAY for the year 2023 to the poor beneficiaries as per the entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Under the NFSA, the entitlement of foodgrains per person per month is 5 kg for the priority households category, while 35 kg per family per month for Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) families.

The move also comes amid the Opposition's criticism over the government discontinuing the free monthly distribution of 5 kilograms of foodgrains to poor people under a scheme that was also known as PMGKAY.

This scheme, which was launched in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, ended in December last year.

Last month, the government decided to subsume PMGKAY into two existing food subsidy schemes and consequently, the new integrated food security scheme came into force.

Till December 2022, the NFSA beneficiaries were getting their foodgrains entitlement at a highly subsidised rate of Re 1, Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg for coarse cereals, wheat and rice, respectively. Now, they will get it for free this year.