Context: 

• Recently, the PM extended Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for five more years.

About Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY):

• Background of PMGKAY
  • Introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Finance
  • Provides 5 kg of free foodgrains to eligible ration card holders under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).
    • The NFSA, introduced in 2013, entitled beneficiaries to receive subsidised foodgrains (at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kilogram of rice, wheat and coarse grains, respectively) through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Scope of PMGKAY
  • Covers two types of ration card holders under NFSA: Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH).

• • NFSA encompasses approximately 20 crore families, with a total of 81.35 crore beneficiaries.
  • The AAY households receive 35 kg of foodgrains per month, while PHH households receive foodgrains based on family size (5 kg per family member per month).
• Allocation of Foodgrains
  • Since its introduction in 2020, the government has allocated 1,118 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains at a cost of Rs 3.9 lakh crore.

• Merge with NFSA
• • In January,2023, PMGKAY was merged with the NFSA, providing free ration for AAY and PHH families, eliminating additional provisions introduced during the pandemic.
  • The total food security bill in 2022-23 rose to about Rs 2.87 lakh crore with the additional outgo.

News Source: BS