Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a food security welfare scheme announced by the Government of India in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme aims to provide free food grains to the poor and needy families across the country, to help them cope with the economic hardship caused by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures. PM-GKAY is an extension of the existing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), which was launched in 2016 to provide various benefits to the poor and marginalized sections of society.

Objectives

The main objectives of PM-GKAY are as follows:

• To provide free food grains to the poor and needy families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.
• To ensure food security for the most vulnerable sections of society, including daily wage laborers, migrant workers, and those living below the poverty line.
• To supplement the existing food security measures, such as the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and provide additional support to the beneficiaries.
• To reduce hunger and malnutrition among the poor and disadvantaged communities, especially women and children.

Key Features

The key features of PM-GKAY are as follows:

• Under the scheme, the government provides 5 kg of free wheat or rice per person per month, along with 1 kg of free whole chana per family per month, to all the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
• The scheme covers around 80 crore beneficiaries across the country, including those holding ration cards under the NFSA and those identified by the state governments as needy and vulnerable.
• The food grains are distributed through the existing network of fair price shops (FPS) under the PDS, which are managed by the state governments and union territories.
• The scheme was initially announced for a period of three months, from April to June 2020, but was later extended multiple times till March 2022, in view of the ongoing pandemic and the need for continued support to the poor.
• The total expenditure under PM-GKAY is estimated to be around Rs. 2.6 lakh crore, which is borne by the central government.

Implementation

The implementation of PM-GKAY involves the following key steps:

• The food grains are procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other state agencies from the farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government.
• The grains are then transported and stored in the warehouses and godowns of FCI and other agencies across the country.
• The state governments and union territories lift the food grains from the FCI godowns and distribute them to the fair price shops under the PDS.
• The beneficiaries can collect their entitled quantity of food grains from the fair price shops by showing their ration cards or other identification documents.
• The state governments and union territories are responsible for the identification of beneficiaries, the issuance of ration cards, and the monitoring and supervision of the scheme at the local level.

Impact and Achievements

PM-GKAY has had a significant impact on the food security and well-being of the poor and needy families across the country. Some of the key achievements of the scheme are as follows:

• As of March 2022, the scheme has provided free food grains to over 80 crore beneficiaries, which is around 60% of the country’s population.
• The scheme has helped in reducing hunger and malnutrition among the poor and disadvantaged communities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.
• The scheme has provided a much-needed relief to the migrant workers and daily wage laborers who were among the worst affected by the pandemic and the lockdown measures.
• The scheme has also helped in stabilizing the prices of food grains in the open market, by ensuring adequate supply and distribution through the PDS.
• The scheme has been praised by various international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank, for its effective implementation and impact on food security.

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a significant food security welfare scheme that has provided much-needed relief and support to the poor and needy families across the country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. The scheme has achieved significant success in reducing hunger and malnutrition among the most vulnerable sections of society, and has been praised by various international organizations for its effective implementation and impact.