PM Modi extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for 6 months; check benefits
New Delhi, March 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Saturday that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will be extended for another six months, until September 2022.
The scheme was launched in March 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, and it was extended for four months in November last year until March 2022.
Making the announcement on Twitter, PM Modi said, "The strength of India lies in the power of every citizen of the country. To further strengthen this power, the government has decided to continue the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for six more months till September 2022. More than 80 crore people of the country will be able to take advantage of this as before."
The decision is significant because the Centre announced on Wednesday that all Covid-19 containment measures will be phased out on March 31 due to a decrease in nationwide new cases. The PMGKAY scheme was implemented in response to the country's pandemic.
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Over and beyond the standard monthly NFSA foodgrains, the scheme comprises providing 5 kg foodgrains per person every month.
Those covered by the National Food Security Act (NFSA) [Antodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Households], as well as those receiving Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), would receive the benefit.
With an allocation of close to Rs 3.4 lakh crore and over 1,000 lakh metric tonnes of free food grain under the scheme, the extension will benefit the poor and vulnerable.
This will be the scheme's sixth phase. The fifth phase was supposed to wrap up in March. The initiative, which began in April 2020, is known to be the world's largest food security programme.
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-PTC News
