COVID Impact: Modi govt to provide free food grains supply to poor in May, June

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Friday (April 23) said that it will ensure free food grain supply for the needy for the next two months. The government will provide free food grains to the poor people for the month of May and June under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana.

The poor and the needy will get  5 kg free food grains under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Scheme.

The free foodgrain scheme, is expected to be given to around 80 crore beneficiaries and the distribution will be on the same pattern as last year’s PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.

Government would spend over Rs 26,000 crore for the scheme. The current scheme is an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) under which the Government announced free food grains and cash payment to women and poor senior citizens and farmers last year.

Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana , 37.52 LMT of food grains has been distributed to 75.04 crore beneficiaries in April ’20, 37.46 LMT distributed to 74.92 crore beneficiaries in May ’20, and 36.62 LMT distributed to 73.24 crore beneficiaries in June ’20. Scheme was further extended for 5 months till November. Since then, 98.31 LMT foodgrains has been lifted by States /UTs so far. In July ’20 36.09 LMT food grains has been distributed to 72.18 crore beneficiaries, in August ’20 30.22 LMT distributed to 60.44 crore beneficiaries, and in September ’20 1.92 LMT distributed to 3.84 crore beneficiaries as on 7th September,2020.