Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a decision on whether or not to extend the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme beyond December stated Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday. She also stressed that the government has sufficient food grains stock, reported PTI. The call on PMGKAY will be taken by the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held on Friday, December 23.
“COVID-19 cases are coming. The scheme will continue till December… After that, the decision (on extending it) will be taken by the prime minister,” the Union Minister of State told the reporters.
She also mentioned that in the last 28 months, the government had spent Rs 1.8 lakh crore on the distribution of free rations to the poor under PMGKAY. The minister also added that the government has sufficient foodgrains stock to meet the requirement under the food security law and other welfare schemes.
Foodgrains procurements for Public Distribution System (PDS) and welfare schemes like PMGKAY are being carried out smoothly even as there were “misconceptions of production fall in rice and wheat” due to some impact of drought and climate change on crops in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, stated Shobha Karandlaje
Karandlaje also listed out steps taken to upgrade PDS with modern technology Ato check wastage and siphoning off the PDS foodgrains besides making payment of support price for procured grains directly to farmers via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) mode.
She also said that there will be a renewed focus on encouraging the production and export of millets ahead of the International Year of Millets which will be celebrated, next year.
In September, the government extended the PMGKAY for three months till December 31. The scheme was started in April 2020 to help those whose livelihoods were affected by a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19. Under this scheme, 5 kg of wheat and rice is given free of cost to 80 crore people per month.
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