The Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a duration of five years starting from January 1, 2024. This monumental decision positions PMGKAY as one of the largest social welfare schemes globally, aiming to ensure food and nutrition security for 81.35 crore individuals, with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 11.80 lakh crore over this period.
The initiative underscores Prime Minister Modi’s strong commitment to effective and targeted welfare by meeting the fundamental food and nutrition needs of the populace. Ensuring food security at such a massive scale during this transformative phase, known as Amrit Kaal, will significantly contribute to India’s progress towards becoming an aspirational and developed nation.
The distribution of free food grains—comprising rice, wheat, coarse grains, and millets—under PMGKAY for five years from January 1, 2024, will fortify food security and alleviate financial hardships faced by the impoverished and vulnerable sections of society. This program will ensure nationwide consistency in providing free food grains across all States/Union Territories through a network of over 5 lakh Fair Price Shops under a unified logo.
Additionally, the scheme will enhance the ease of living by enabling beneficiaries to procure food grains free of cost from any Fair Price Shop nationwide, fostering the ONORC (One Nation One Ration Card) initiative. ONORC, a part of the Digital India initiative, allows migrants to avail themselves of food entitlements seamlessly within and across states. The provision of free food grains will further solidify the implementation of this choice-based platform, ensuring uniformity under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) throughout the country.
Over the next five years, the approximate food subsidy for distributing food grains under PMGKAY is estimated at Rs. 11.80 lakh crore. This significant investment by the Centre emphasizes its long-term commitment and vision to address the country’s food and nutrition security concerns. The provision of free food grains is aimed at mitigating financial hardships within society in a sustainable manner, ensuring a long-term pricing strategy that incurs zero cost to beneficiaries, which is essential for the effective penetration of the Public Distribution System.
Under this scheme, for example, a 35 kg bag of rice for an Antyodaya family costs Rs. 1371, while the same quantity of wheat costs Rs. 946, covered entirely by the Government of India under PMGKAY, providing these food grains completely free to eligible families. This initiative results in substantial monthly savings for ration card holders.
This commitment to providing access to adequate and quality food grains aligns with the Government of India’s dedication to ensuring dignified living standards for all citizens. The continuation of PMGKAY for five years aims to enhance food security in terms of accessibility, affordability, and availability of food grains for the targeted population, maintaining uniformity across states.
This decision stands as a testament to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s unwavering dedication to bolstering food and nutrition security across the nation.