Government to provide free 5 kg ration to poor under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana in May, June
They said 5-kg free food grains per person per month would be given to around 80 crore people for the two months.
FollowNew Delhi: In a huge relief to the poorer sections of the society amid the devastating second wave of coronavirus pandemic, the Central government on Friday announced that it will provide free food grains under the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana for the months of May and June, 2021.
They said 5-kg free food grains per person per month would be given to around 80 crore people for the two months.
Each beneficiary under NFSA will get 5 kg per person per month for the next two months and this will be over and above their entitlement of 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse grains at Rs 3, 2 and Re 1 per kg respectively.
PM Modi stressed that it is important that the poor have nutritional support when the country is facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
The government said this will be rolled out on the same pattern as last year’s PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.
The Government of India would spend more than Rs 26,000 crore on this initiative. This government's initiative comes as India has seen a record surge in Covid-19 cases in the past few days.
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Three states Rajasthan, Kerala and Uttrakhand had recently urged the centre to restart distribution of free food grains to 81 crore poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY). Four MPs including NCP chief and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar have also sought the re-run of the scheme which was launched last year during the first wave of the pandemic.
Under PMGKAY, the Centre distributed 5 kg rice or wheat per person and one kg of pulses per family to all those covered under the National Food Security Act. This covered the April- November period of 2020 and had come as a big relief to the poor families across the country.
