Centre Names New Food Security Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana'

The scheme that was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a Cabinet meet will benefit more than 80 crore people in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The new integrated food security scheme approved by the Centre for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries, to be rolled out from 1st January 2023 has been changed to be named PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana ((PMGKAY), the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a statement on Wednesday.

The scheme that was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a Cabinet meet will benefit more than 80 crore people in the country.

"Keeping in view welfare of the beneficiaries and in order to maintain uniformity across the States, free foodgrains will be provided under PMGKAY for the year 2023 to all PHH and AAY beneficiaries, as per entitlement under NFSA," read the statement released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

"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 decentralized procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to the states under NFSA," the statement further read.

In order to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme, the Centre has issued notification for making price of foodgrains zero for AAY and PHH beneficiaries. Notification has also been issued for the resolution of technical issues at Fair Price Shops (FPS), advisory related to margin to the Fair Price Shop Dealers and zero prices in the print receipts given to beneficiaries.

The Centre has also ensured that the Officers of the Department of Food & Public Distribution and FCI are in constant touch with the officers of the state governments for a better implementation.

More than Rs 2 lakh crore will be spent as food subsidy under NFSA and other welfare schemes by the Centre, to remove the financial burden of the poor and the poorest of the poor, according to the statement of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.