Extension of PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)

Govt has decided to extend PMGKAY for a period of three months so that poor and vulnerable sections of society are supported for the forthcoming major festivals like Navratri, Dussehra, etc.

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PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges
- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) in News

Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the extension for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY-Phase VII) for a further period of 3 months i.e. October to December 2022.

PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) Extension

Govt has decided to extend PMGKAY for a period of three months so that poor and vulnerable sections of society are supported for the forthcoming major festivals like Navratri, Dussehra, Milad-un-nabi, Deepawali, Chhath pooja, etc.
- This was done so that they can celebrate with great gaiety and community for festivities.
With a view to ensuring this, Govt. has approved this extension of PMGKAY for three months, so that they continue to enjoy the benefits of easy availability of foodgrains without any financial distress.

PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)

About: PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) was launched during COVID-19 crisis to provided food security to the poor, needy and the vulnerable households/beneficiaries so that they do not suffer on account of non-availability of adequate foodgrains.
- Under PMGKAY, Effectively it has doubled the quantity of monthly foodgrains entitlements being normally delivered to beneficiaries.
Benefits: Under PMGKAY welfare scheme, 5 kg of food grain per person per month is provided free of cost for all the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) including those covered under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Financial Expenditure: Financial implication for the Government of India has been about 3.45 Lakh Crore upto Phase-VI of PMGKAY.
- With the additional expenditure of about Rs. 44,762 Crore for Phase-VII of this scheme, the overall expenditure of PMGKAY will be about Rs. 3.91 lakh crore for all the phases.
Grain Allotment: The total outgo in terms of food grains for PMGKAY Phase VII is likely to be about 122 LMT.
- The aggregate allocation of food grain for phases I- VII is about 1121 LMT.
Implementation: PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) has been implemented in the following phases –
- Phase I and II ( 8 months): April’20 to Nov.’20
- Phase-III to V (11 months): May’21 to March’22
- Phase-VI ( 6 months): April’22 to Sept.’22

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana eligibility

Families belonging to the Below Poverty Line – Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) categories will be eligible for the scheme.
PHH are to be identified by State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as per criteria evolved by them. AAY families are to be identified by States/UTs as per the criteria prescribed by the Central Government:
Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence.
All primitive tribal households.
Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers, and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitutes and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
All eligible Below Poverty Line families of HIV positive persons.