Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is a flagship food security programme by the Government of India started by the Government of India on March 26, 2020, to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the economy. It provides foodgrains free of cost to the most vulnerable sections of the population in the country through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Key features
- Beneficiaries: About 81.35 crore persons, nearly 57% of the Indian population, including Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Households (PHH) as per the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
- Entitlement:
o AAY households: 35 kg of food grains per month, per household.
o PHH beneficiaries: 5 kg of food grains per month, per person. - Duration: The scheme was initially launched for 3 months, April–June 2020 and has subsequently been extended several times, currently till December 2028.
- Budget allocation: The central government has provided the outlay of approximately ₹11.80 lakh crore to cover the five-year period from 2024 to 2028, i.e., for the period January 2024 to December 2028.
Impact:
- Poverty alleviation: An IMF study noted that PMGKAY was instrumental in keeping extreme poverty levels (those living with less than 1.90USD purchasing power) from increasing in India, during the pandemic.
- Coverage: Over 750 million beneficiaries obtained food grains every month during FY 2020–21 and 2021–22.
- Beneficiary satisfaction: Monitoring reports from 30 States/UTs indicated that 98percent of the surveyed 1 Lakh households received their PMGKAY monthly entitlement.
Administration
The scheme is implemented by the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution with the Ministry of Finance acting as the nodal ministry.