Earlier free ration was distributed under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
From January 1, 2023, the government is distributing free ration under the National Food Security Act.
The Uttar Pradesh government has started distribution of free ration to cardholders from today, April 13, 2023. The free ration campaign will continue till April 24, 2023. Ration card holders have to show their card at designated ration shops to get free ration. Cardholders get free ration every month under the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA). According to the District Supply Officer of Ghaziabad, the beneficiaries in the district will get free ration from today till April 24, 2023.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been extending the benefits of the free ration scheme to poor families. Earlier, free ration was distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). From January 1, 2023, the government is distributing free ration under NFSA. Till now the government has given assistance to 81.35 crore people and this scheme will continue till December 2023. Antyodaya Anna Yojana benefits are provided to the family along with priority household members under NFSA.
As per preliminary data, the PMGKAY was to be implemented in seven phases between April 2020 and December 2022, costing the Center a total of Rs 3.43 trillion. Because states’ grain offtake in the seventh phase of the plan, which runs from October to December 2022, was 9.17 million tonnes instead of the initial estimate of Rs 3.9 trillion, the expenditure was lower than earlier estimates. The cost of the final phase of PMGKAY came to Rs 34,208 crore as against the initial estimate of Rs 44,762 crore.
Since the launch of the free ration program in April 2020, the Center has supplied over 100 metric tonnes of food grains to help those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates suggest that states have lifted 1.89 MT of wheat between October and December 2022 out of 2.11 MT of wheat to be given under PMGKAY. States have received 7.27 MT of rice out of 9.89 MT allocated to them. Except from December 2020 to April 2021, the program is running continuously with few extensions. The most recent extension ran for three months till December 31, 2022.
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