TNI Bureau: In an effort to soothe the agony of high inflation and gain political advantage in the impending Gujarat elections, the government on Wednesday extended by three months its program to offer free rations to the poor at a cost of Rs 44,762 crore.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana that was set to finish on September 30, 2022 and offer 5 kg of free wheat and rice to 80 crore underprivileged people would now last until December 31, 2022.
The scheme would be extended by three months, according to the statement made by the Union Cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the program was initiated. The initiative offers 5 kg of free food grains each person per month to the less fortunate.
What Is Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY)?
The Indian government unveiled the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana in 2016 as a part of the Taxation Laws Act 2016.
The original intent of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana program was to ensure that tax evaders disclosed any undeclared funds in order to avoid penalties and criminal prosecution. The government wanted to employ the black money contributed under this scheme for the welfare of the underprivileged.
Through the government’s Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana program, people can deposit money without paying taxes. Individuals were required to pay 50% of the untaxed sum in this case by the government.
What Are the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana’s Eligibility Criteria?
The following people are eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana:
- Migrant laborers, rural and urban poor, women, and farmers
- Health Workers
- Employees with low pay
- Small businesses (with up to 100 employees)
In its efforts to end poverty in the nation, the PMGKY is advancing quickly. The program has assisted the government in dealing with issues brought on by pandemic-related economic disruptions in addition to seeing the repatriation of illicit funds from tax evaders. The country was supported by PMGKY in preventing further deterioration of the rich-poor income inequality by outlining a plan for assisting the underprivileged during COVID.
The government has given low-income residents support to go about their everyday lives even when they are unable to work through a number of programs and packages under the PMGKY.