Union Ministerc said that more than 80 crore people will now get free foodgrains under National Food Security Act.
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Delhi: Centre announced on Friday that ration will be now be made free and not just at susidised rates for beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act at least till December 2023. Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that more than 80 crore people will now get free foodgrains under National Food Security Act. They will not have to pay a single rupee to get food grains till Dec 2023. Govt will spend around Rs 2 lakh crores per year on this.
The decision comes days ahead of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) ending on December 31, 2022. Under the PMGKAY, which was launched in April 2020 to provide relief to the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic, 5 kg of foodgrain is being provided free of cost to about 80 crore people over and above the NFSA quota.
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Currently, the beneficiaries covered under the NFSA pay Rs 1-3 per kg.
Under the Act, foodgrain is allocated at 5 kg per person per month for priority households category and at 35 kg per family per month for Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) families at highly subsidised prices of Re 1, Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg for coarse cereals, wheat and rice, respectively.
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About 159 lakh tonnes of wheat and 104 lakh tonnes of rice will be available as on January 1, 2023, as against the respective buffer norms requirement of 138 lakh tonnes of wheat and 76 lakh tonnes of rice as on January 1, the government recently said.
