We are all aware of how Covid has affected everyone in the world. Since everything went under lockdown, almost everything was scarce. This was not just the case for a single country but all the countries in the world. There was not a single sector in the entire world economics that didn’t face a downfall during the pandemic. And likewise, there was not a single person on earth who wasn’t affected by it.
Although the world started the precautionary measures to find a cure but the biggest problem the world was facing was a shortage of food, especially for poor people who could hardly go through the day without hardships. This was the same case with India too. However, to fight these unforeseen issues, the Government of India announced a welfare scheme named “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana PMGKAY” in March 2020. The program came into effect by the Department of Food and Public Distribution works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution. This brought hope to a lot of people of this country.
| Highlights |
| Launched on 26th March because of the onset of lockdownPrime Minister announced to grant this scheme under NFSABenefits of free ration for people below the poverty lineExtended till November 2020As per the new update, benefits avail till November this yearTotal expenditure Manage2,27,841.ManaLegibility in the eLigibility criteria |
Yojana List, Latest News, and Update and Schemes
| Latest News and Schemes |
|---|
| The latest news about this scheme is that another 199 lakh tonnes of foodgrains will be distributed from July to November 2022 PMGKAY.As per the latest news, this scheme is with an extension of the scheme from June 2022 till November 2022. Also, the FCI from New Delhi has almost supplied more than 69 lakhs of foodgrains under PMGKAY. The extension of two months where people will get free wheat and rice on the ration card was a good chance.When the free distribution of ration to beneficiaries covered under this scheme started in UP, it was made sure that all safety protocols were in place. This was done in around 80,000 ration shops with the proper allocation of food grains under the sanction of PMGKAY.In this new initiative, India’s government will spend ₹93869 crores towards the distribution of foodgrain; this is going to total cost of ₹2,27,841 crores. While crores of rupees have been spent already. |
| Sarkari Yojana |
| There are various Yojana and Schemes granted by the Prime Minister to make the life of a commoner easier.Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)Atal Pension Yojana (APY)Pradhan Mantri Mudra YojanaPradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana YojanaPradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan YojanaPradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana PMGKAY |
Features and Benefits of This Scheme
The Scheme under PMGKAY says all the people who are into lockdown during the Pandemic and fall into category sanction under the program will be covered under this Yojana and will be allotted ration from the Government of India.
We will also share the eligibility and application process incoming segments to check if you can avail of this scheme and benefit from it.
The scheme was very helpful for anyone holding a ration card and majorly helped people who migrated for work and were out of work because of lockdown. It was a relief when this scheme was announced, as people were anxious because of the sudden lockdown being enforced all over the country.
The benefits of This Scheme
The Major Benefit of this scheme is that those who have a ration card will get 1 kg Dal per family and Wheat and Rice will be allotted 5 Kg per person per month till the declared period. It benefited the laborers whose work was stalled, and there was no income for them.
The best news is that it is extended for this year by the Government, as declared by the Prime Minister in his recent speech in New Delhi.
How to Apply for This Scheme
When this scheme was declared in 2020, it brought so much relief to people whose income literally stopped and mainly the people who were daily wage earners, as described by Public Distribution System.
Now that you are aware of the scheme and benefits of this scheme and if you are eligible as per the eligibility mentioned above criteria.
| Then you can apply to this Yojana by following the things mentioned below: |
| To apply, go to your nearest Ration Shop.Take your ration card and Aadhar Card along.Wait for your turn (For the safety purpose due to Pandemic, make sure not to overcrowd the ration shop)Upon inquiry, they will let you know if any other documentation will be required apart from your Ration Card and how the allocation of ration would be done.You may be asked to fill out a form and attest to mentioned documents.Once everything is in order, you can avail of ration as per the scheme. |
| Documents Required |
| You will have to visit the nearest Ration Shop to know which documents would be accepted in addition to:The Ration CardAadhar Card.ID proof |
Eligibility/InEligibility Criteria for PMGKAY
If you are affected by the Pandemic, you can benefit from this Yojana if you are eligible. We will list down the eligibility criteria down here to make it easier for you to ascertain whether or not to go ahead with the application process.
Since this initiative is taken to provide relief to the poor those suffering because of the Pandemic and the aftermath, we strongly suggest applying for this scheme only if you are in dire need.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible, you need to be amongst the families that fall below the poverty line or Priority Households as under National Food Security.
- Households that widows or terminally ill people head as per PMGKAY scheme.
- Families that disabled persons with no stable income run.
- Families that are run by persons above the age of 60 years with very limited means of income.
- Persons who don’t have someone to support them financially have very low or zero sources of income like widows or senior citizens.
- Every Tribal Household
- Priority Households as identified by a state government or Union territory administrations as per their criteria under the PMGKAY.
- Small scale farmers
- Agriculture labourers without a land of their own.
- Migrant labourers
- Rural artists like potters, masons, carpenters,
- People were living in slums have a daily wage-earning livelihood.
- Low-income persons like flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, etc.
- All the families HIV positive personals who are below the poverty line as per the public distribution system.
Ineligibility Criteria
Below are some criteria which will make you ineligible for the PMGKAY:
- People over and above the poverty line who have a stable income.
- Businesses with huge turnovers
- People with bank statements showing some savings to endure the Pandemic.
- Retired government employees who were receiving pensions as usual.
The Objective of This Scheme
The Yojana was declared on 26th March 2020, following the uproar of scarcity and no income that the countrymen were facing due during the Covid 19 Pandemic. PM Narendra Modi announced this scheme on 26th March, and it was launched for two months I.e from April – June 2020. It was estimated that it would come to the cost of around ₹1.70 lakh crore for the food and, due to further needs, was extended till November 2020.
The objective behind this scheme was that it could help people whose incomes were either stopped or were reduced due to the Pandemic. As part of the Yojana, it was decided that the government would provide free food grains to more than a population of 80 crores. The beneficiaries covered under PMGKAY were under the National Food Security Act.
It was announced that under this scheme, amongst the poor people, one person would get five kilograms of the food grain free of cost per month.
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Helpline Number
Since these schemes are made available for those who need and given the Pandemic, it might happen that sometimes the ration at the shop might get over or maybe there is a long queue, or you are eligible but not able to avail the ration, in these cases, you can call the helpline number to get the desired help.
For queries or complaints regarding this scheme, you can contact the consumer helpline number 1800-180-2079. Also, you can check out the list of beneficiaries on the link chdfood.gov.in or chdfood.gov.in/sites/default/files/DBT.pdf.