Consider the following statements regarding the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY):
1. It is an integrated food security scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
2. The beneficiaries will also be getting food grains at subsidized prices.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Both 1 and 2
Incorrect AnswerNeither 1 nor 2
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
• Centre has named its new integrated food security scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• It’ll strengthen provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability, and availability of food grains for the poor. It will subsume two subsidy schemes of the Department of Food & Public Distribution
• Food Subsidy to FCI: It is in form of a consumer subsidy (Difference between Economic cost incurred by FCI and realized Central Issue Price) and a buffer subsidy (Cost of holding and maintaining buffer stock).
• Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation, and delivery of free foodgrains to states under NFSA.
• Earlier, a scheme with a similar name (PMGKAY) was implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Difference between the two schemes
o Earlier, NFSA beneficiaries were getting foodgrains entitlement (35 kg per AAY Household and 5 kg per person to PHH) at a subsidized rates (Rs 3/kg rice, Rs 2/kg wheat, and Rs 1/kg coarse grains). o Now, the government has done away with subsided prices and providing food grains free of cost for a year. However, an additional quantity of 5 kg of food grains will not be provided.
By: Parvesh Mehta ProfileResourcesReport error