Incidentally, the decision to discontinue the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was announced on December 31, 2022. But the Center wants to ensure that those who used to get ration under the scheme are not deprived. Because of that, the customers of that project have been brought under the National Food Security Act. According to Union Ministry sources, providing this free ration will cost an additional Rs 2 lakh crore from the government’s exchequer. But the whole of it will be borne by the government.
As a result, around 81.35 crore NFSA beneficiaries will get free ration till December 31 this year. Earlier subsidized rice and wheat were provided under NFSA.
Incidentally, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana started in the country from April, 2020. The objective was to deliver free ration to the poor people in the country through Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. 3 lakh 90 thousand crores have been spent on this project. The program was launched by the Prime Minister in 2020 to save the poor people from the negative impact of the economic situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Under that scheme, 80 crore poor people were being given free 5 kg of food grains every month. The Center has stopped this project since the time of Covid on December 31. The current ruling central government claims that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is the ‘biggest food security program’ in the world.
However, even if this project is stopped, the Union Ministry of Food has already announced that free ration will continue under the National Food Security Act. The same will be given till December 31.