Union government extends free food grain scheme till December 2023

New Delhi: Union government extended the free food grain scheme for poor till December 2023. Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced this.

The Union government will bear the expenses of free food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one more year. The scheme will cost Rs 2 lakh crore a year. Under the scheme, more than 81.3 crore people will now get free food grains. At present, the beneficiaries pay Rs 1 to 3 per kg.

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Under NFSA, the government currently provides 5 kilogram of food grains per person per month at Rs 2-3 per kg. The families covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) get 35 kg of food grains per month. Rice is given to poor persons under NFSA at Rs 3 per kg and wheat at Rs 2 per kg.

Meanwhile, the government decided not to extend the free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which ends on December 31. Under this scheme, 5 kg of foodgrain is being provided free of cost to about 80 crore people over and above the NFSA quota. PMGKAY was launched in April 2020 to provide relief to the poor during the Covid-19 pandemic.