In a significant move aimed at aiding the underprivileged, the government has declared the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for an additional five years until December 2028. This decision, announced on Wednesday, November 29, intends to continue providing free food grains to an estimated 80 crore impoverished individuals across the nation.

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Union Minister Anurag Thakur, speaking at a Cabinet briefing, unveiled that the extension of the PMGKAY initiative will impose a cost of ₹11.8 lakh crore on the exchequer. The implementation of this extension is scheduled to commence from January 1, 2024. The decision was ratified during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 28.

This extension comes in the wake of Prime Minister Modi's assurance earlier this month at an election rally in Chhattisgarh, where he pledged to prolong the free ration scheme for an additional five years.

Originally launched in April 2020 to offer aid during the Covid-19 pandemic for a three-month duration, the PMGKAY was later prolonged. Under this scheme, impoverished families receive a monthly allocation of 5 kg of food grains.

Last year, the government decided to integrate the PMGKAY, initiated in 2020 to furnish additional food grains free of cost, with the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The NFSA encompasses two categories, covering up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban populace—Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households.

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), launched in April 2020 amidst the economic standstill caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been instrumental in providing essential sustenance to millions across India. Initially designed to alleviate the dire circumstances prevalent during the pandemic, the scheme offered beneficiaries a monthly provision of five kilograms of food grains, supplemented by subsidized ration costing between Rs 2-3 per kilogram, as stipulated under the NFSA.

The scheme primarily caters to households falling under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH). Additionally, households headed by individuals facing challenging circumstances—such as widows, terminally ill persons, disabled individuals, or those aged 60 years or above lacking assured means of subsistence—are encompassed within its ambit. Furthermore, primitive tribal households, landless agricultural laborers, rural artisans, and individuals earning livelihoods in the informal sector, including slum dwellers, rickshaw pullers, porters, and others, both in rural and urban areas, qualify for assistance. Families of individuals living below the poverty line and affected by HIV also receive support through this program.