New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday extended Pradhanmantri Garib Kalyan Yojana - a scheme to provide free food grains to the poor - by six months till September 30 at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore. The decision was taken during the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 


The PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was announced in March 2020 after the first Covid-19 lockdown was implemented across the country. The scheme was scheduled to end on March 31.






Under the scheme, government provides free five kilogrammes of food grains per person to more than 80 crore beneficiaries who are covered under the National Food Security Act, including those covered under the direct benefit transfer.


Initially, the scheme was launched for the period April-June 2020. However, it was extended till November 30 due to surge in Covid caseload across the country. The Union Cabinet, in November last year, had again extended the scheme for another four months. 


The free ration received under this scheme is over and above the subsidised food grains provided to the cardholders through ration shops.


According to reports, around Rs 2.6 lakh crore has already been spent under this scheme in the last two years and it will cost another Rs 80,000 crore with extension of six months.


"In keeping with the concern and sensitivity towards poor and vulnerable sections of society, the Union Cabinet has extended the PM-GKAY scheme for another six months i.e, till September 2022 (Phase VI)," an official statement said.


"The government has spent approximately Rs 2.60 lakh crore so far and another Rs 80,000 crore will be spent over the next six months till September 2022 taking the total expenditure under PM-GKAY to nearly Rs 3.40 lakh crore," the statement added.


"Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly abated and economic activities are gathering momentum, this PM-GKAY extension would ensure that no poor household goes to bed without food during this time of recovery," the statement said.


Soon after the decision was taken in the Cabinet, Food Minister Piyush Goyal took to Twitter and said that the extension of the scheme shows the Modi government’s sensitivity towards poor.




The additional free grains are over and above the normal quota provided under the NFSA at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg.


The government had allocated about 759 lakh tonnes of free foodgrains under the PM-GKAY till Phase V.