Overview:

• This scheme’s phase-5 was scheduled to end in March 2022.
• Around Rs 2.60 lakh crore has been spent by the government so far on the scheme, with an additional Rs 80,000 crore earmarked to be spent till September 2022.
• This will take the total expenditure to around Rs 3.40 lakh crore.
• Under this extended scheme, each beneficiary will receive a 5 kg free ration per person per month along with the normal food grains quota under the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA).
• This scheme will be looking to cover around 80 crore beneficiaries across the nation, and like before, it will be fully funded by the central government.
• 759 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of free food grains had been allocated under phase 5 of PMGKAY.
• Under phase 6, 244 LMT has been added, thus, the aggregate free food grain allocation stands at 1,003 LMT.

About PMGKAY

In March 2020, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government had announced the PMGKAY welfare scheme. Initially, the scheme was planned for a period of 3 months but since then, it has been extended several times. This scheme looked to provide every individual covered under the NFSA with an additional 5 kg of grains (rice or wheat) free of cost, along with the 5 kg of subsidized food grain that is already being provided through the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS).