The Government of India has announced an extension in the free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for another six months till September 2022. Earlier the scheme was valid till March 2022.
The PMGKAY scheme was launched in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic so that the vulnerable households do not suffer due to the non-availability of adequate foodgrains.
The government has so far spent about Rs. 2.60 lakh crore, and Rs 80,000 crore will be spent in the next 6 months till September 2022, taking the total expenditure under PM-GKAY to about Rs.3.40 lakh crore.
