WHAT IS PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN ANNA YOJANA (PMGKAY)?

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana 

Introduction:

• In a major relief to the poor amid the ruinous COVID- 19 epidemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi blazoned on Monday that the government has extended the scheme to distribute wheat and rice free of cost to around 80 crore people till November. 

• before in April this time, the Centre had blazoned distribution of free food grains for the months of May and June under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana to help people during the alternate surge of the epidemic. 

• After the outbreak of the COVID- 19 epidemic last time in March, the PMGKAY scheme was launched to support the vulnerable sections of society. 

• It was enforced during April to November 2020. 

• The scheme was greeted for May- June 2021 to deal with the impact of the alternate surge of the epidemic. 

• The estimated cost to the bankroll for these two months was about 25 thousand crore rupees, which will now increase significantly. 

 

About the Scheme 

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana( PM- GKAY) is a scheme as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to supply free food grains to settlers and poor. 

 

What's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana? 

• Considered as world’s largest food security scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana aims at icing sufficient food for the poor and indigent during the coronavirus extremity. 

• It was blazoned as part of the first relief package during the COVID- 19 epidemic. 

• Part of the scheme, the food needs to be handed to all the heirs under public distribution system( TPDS) for Antyodaya Anna Yojana( AAY) and precedence ménage( PHH) portion cardholders. 

• As per updates, the eligible heirs will admit 5 kg of foodgrains and 1 kg Gram per month. 

Eligibility 

 

• Families belonging to the Below Poverty Line – Antyodaya Anna Yojana( AAY) and Priority homes( PHH) orders will be eligible for the scheme. 

• PHH are to be linked by State Governments Union Territory Administrations as per criteria evolved by them. 

• AAY families are to be linked by States/ UTs as per the criteria specified by the Central Government 

• Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons or impaired persons or persons aged 60 times or further with no assured means of subsistence or societal support. 

• Widows or terminally ill persons or impaired persons or persons aged 60 times or further or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence. 
• All primitive ethnical homes. 

• Landless husbandry labourers, borderline growers, pastoral crafters tradesmen similar as potters, tanners, needlewomen, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum residers, and persons earning their livelihood on diurnal base in the informal sector like janitors, coolies, gharry scullers, hand wain scullers, fruit and flower merchandisers, snake mages, rag selectors, cobblers, destitutes and other analogous orders in both pastoral and civic areas. 

• All eligible Below Poverty Line families of HIV positive persons. 

 

Why these measures were necessary? 

• For profitable agents – particularly poor homes and small businesses – the extremity moment is a extremity of liquidity. 

• The civil lockdown, assessed to stop the new coronovirus in its tracks, has led to scores of diurnal pay envelope workers and informal sector entrepreneurs losing earning openings from their being conditioning. 

enterprises and challenges ahead 

• Certain groups of diurnal bets and informal workers may be left out. 

• And the real challenge would come in enforcing these measures. 

• For illustration, while there was sufficient fat foodgrains available in government storages and an being system for farther procurement, the system for procurement of beats demanded to be created in utmost countries. 

 

Constraints to migratory workers 

• While these measures are welcome, they may fall suddenly of reaching all sections of this vulnerable population. 

• As per the Economic Survey( 2018- 19), India needs to take big enterprise to ameliorate its food security as it faces force constraints, water failure, small landholdings, low per capita GDP and shy irrigation. 

• utmost migratory workers don't live with families; numerous don't cook their refections. rather, a significant number calculate on roadside merchandisers and dhabas. 

• Without access to cooking arrangement or energy, only subsidised grains aren't a sufficient result to insure aliment. 
• Neither would it be sufficient to attract them back to the civic areas as access to affordable food remains a major concern. 

• Institutions similar as the State Food Commissions haven't made a big difference moreover. 

• Distributing nutritional food as a public health measure is still not a political imperative, while ill- conceived programs are making it delicate for numerous to do this. 

• The report on nutritive insufficiency should serve as an occasion to estimate the part played by the PDS in bringing about salutary diversity for those counting on subsidized food. 

• A critical aspect of nutrient acceptability is “ diet diversity ”, calculated by different groupings of foods consumed with the reference period ranging from one to 15 days. 

 

PMGKAY Extention 

• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana( PMGKAY- III) has been given extention till the Deepawali. 

• This means that till November 2021, further than 80 crore people will continue to get decided quantum of free food grain every month. 

• Till07.06.2021, Food Corporation of India has supplied 69 LMT free food grains to all 36 States/ UTs. 13 States/ UTs i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Punjab, Telangana and Tripura have lifted full allocation for May- June 2021. 23 States/ UTs i.e. Andaman & Nicobar islets, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Daman Diu D&NH, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have lifted 100 May 2021 allocation. 

• Out of 7 North Eastern States, 5 States i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura have lifted the full allocation of May- June 2021. 

• In Manipur and Assam, lifting of free food grains is in full swing and likely to be completed shortly. 

• FCI is transporting food grains each across the country to insure smooth force to all States/ UT Governments. During May 2021, 1433 food grain rakes have been loaded by FCI at an average 46 rakes per day. 

• The Government of India will bear the entire cost on account of similar distribution including food subvention,intra-state transportation and dealer’s periphery/ fresh dealers periphery, without any sharing by States/ UTs. 

• The Government of India has acclimatized all the States/ UT Governments to complete the distribution of free food grains under PMGKAY in time bound manner. 

• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is easing force of free food grains to the heirs amidst ongoing COVID epidemic and therefore furnishing food security to the heirs. 

• The Government of India blazoned Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana( PMGKAY) to meliorate the difficulty faced by the poor due to profitable dislocation caused by Corona contagion. Under the scheme, free food grains@ 5 kg per person per month is being distributed to heirs covered under NFSA.