Will govt extend free ration scheme PMGKAY beyond Sep?

Agencies
New Delhi, Sep 19
The government will take a call on extending the PMGKAY scheme to provide free ration to the poor beyond September 30, Food
Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said on Monday without elaborating on when the decision is expected.
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was launched in March 2020 to provide free 5 kg foodgrains per
person per month to about 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to reduce their hardship
during the lockdown period. This was over and above the general allocation under the NFSA. The scheme has been extended
multiple times and is now valid till September 30.
“The government has to decide,” Pandey told reporters when asked about the extension of the PMGKAY scheme. On the food
ministry's view on the extension, the secretary said: “These are big government decisions…government will take a call on it.” Pandey
was speaking on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India.
Initially in 2020-21, the PMGKAY scheme was announced only for a period of three months of April, May and June 2020 (Phase-
I). Later, the government extended the scheme from July to November 2020 (Phase-II). With the COVID-19 crisis continuing in 2021-
22, the Centre had in April 2021 re-introduced the scheme for a period of two months of May and June 2021 (Phase-III) and
extended it for another five months from July to November 2021 (Phase-IV).