Centre extends free ration distribution till December 2023
The measure will cost the government Rs 2 lakh crore, which will be borne entirely by the government.
TNI Bureau: As part of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Indian government announced on Friday that they would cover the costs of providing free food grains till the end of 2023. The National Food Security Act’s ration distribution would be free for 81.3 crore poor people for a full year, according to a decision made by the Centre.
The distribution of free food grains for another year was approved by the cabinet on Friday. According to Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, the measure will cost the government Rs 2 lakh crore, which will be borne entirely by the government.
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According to Goyal, the NFSA quota will include foodgrains, which have been distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) from April 2020. PMGKAY won’t be continued past December 2022 as a result. Prior to Friday’s decision, the NFSA gave 5 kg of foodgrains per person, per month, at a cost of Rs 2-3 per kg.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)-covered families receive 35 kg of food grains each month.
The latest Cabinet decision, according to government officials, is a “new year present for the country’s underprivileged,” since more than 80 crore people will now receive free food grains under the NFSA. The recipients won’t have to pay even one rupee to receive food supplies. They noted that the Center will now allocate over $2 lakh crore annually to this programme.
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