By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 12, 2023: THE Cabinet had approved new integrated food security scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) & Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries, to be rolled out from 1st January 2023. New scheme has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY).  Implementation of the new scheme has started from 1st January 2023, benefitting more than 80 crore poor and poorest of poor people.

Keeping in view welfare of the beneficiaries and in order to maintain uniformity across the States, free foodgrains will be provided under PMGKAY for the year 2023 to all PHH and AAY beneficiaries, as per entitlement under NFSA. The integrated scheme will strengthen the provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for the poor.

For effective and uniform implementation of NFSA 2013, PMGKAY will subsume the two subsidy schemes of Department of Food & Public Distribution (a) Food Subsidy to FCI (b) Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to the states under NFSA.

Necessary steps have already been taken for smooth implementation of the PMGKAY in the field, i.e. necessary notification has been issued for making price of foodgrains zero for AAY and PHH beneficiaries, resolution of technical issues at Fair Price Shops (FPS), advisory related to margin to the Fair Price Shop Dealers, zero prices in the print receipts given to beneficiaries etc.

Officers of the Department of Food & Public Distribution and FCI are regularly interacting with State Government officers for smooth roll out of new scheme in the field.

The Central Government will spend more than Rs 2 lakh crore in 2023 as food subsidy under NFSA and other welfare schemes, to remove the financial burden of the poor and the poorest of the poor.