Union Cabinet gives approval for PMGKAY food aid scheme

The Cabinet on Wednesday had given grant for allocation of additional foodgrain following the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Phase III for the upcoming two months – May and June as per an official statement.
The approval passed by the Government can be termed as “ex-post facto”, which implies that the programme declared in the month of April has been processed further for implantation. The allotting of the additional foodgrain worth free of cost for nearly 798 million beneficiaries will be at 5 kg per person per month. It would comprise of an approximate food subsidy of ₹25,332.92 crore, according to an official statement.
Based on the official data, the Food Corporation of India presently has 77 million tonnes of foodgrains, which estimates to be 3.6 times more than the needed emergency reserve for the year’s requirements.
Around 810 million are eligible for the subsidised foodgrains following the food security law, with which the beneficiaries procure 5 kg of wheat or rice covers for every individual per months. The Act is applicable to 67 per cent of the population (75 per cent for rural areas and 50 per cent in urban pockets).
The Centre will take complete responsibility adhering to the expenditure of more than ₹26,000 crore for the additional foodgrain allocation for the beneficiaries which will be a part of the Central assistance to states, according to an official.
The Covid-19 infections with the severely affected healthcare system have left the migrant workers without their daily jobs and also impacted the income of the poor with the imposed restrictions by different states based on their respective status of Covid-19, as authorities tackle the pandemic.