Rolled out from 1 January 2023, the new scheme has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY).
The Centre has approved a new integrated food security scheme for providing free food grains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) & Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries. The scheme will benefit more than 80 crore poor and poorest of poor people, Centre said.
Rolled out from 1 January 2023, the new scheme has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY).
Under the scheme, free food grains will be provided under PMGKAY for the year 2023 to all PHH and AAY beneficiaries, as per entitlement under NFSA. The integrated scheme is expected to strengthen the provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for the poor.
For effective and uniform implementation of NFSA 2013, PMGKAY will subsume the two subsidy schemes of Department of Food & Public Distribution (a) Food Subsidy to FCI (b) Food Subsidy for decentralised procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to the states under NFSA.
“Necessary steps have already been taken for smooth implementation of the PMGKAY in the field, i.e., necessary notification has been issued for making price of foodgrains zero for AAY and PHH beneficiaries, resolution of technical issues at Fair Price Shops (FPS), advisory related to margin to the Fair Price Shop Dealers, zero prices in the print receipts given to beneficiaries etc,” Centre said in a statement.
The Central Government will spend more than Rs 2 lakh crore in 2023 as food subsidy under NFSA and other welfare schemes, to remove the financial burden of the poor and the poorest of the poor.
