278 LMT foodgrains allocated to 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries under PMGKAY: Centre

About 278 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) foodgrains have been allocated free of cost to approximately 80 crore National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of 7 months from May to November this year, the Centre informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti stated: "During the year 2021 for the period of 7 months, that is from May to November 2021, about 278 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) foodgrains have been allocated free of cost to approximately 80 Crore National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)."

As per the minister, about 322 LMT of foodgrains had been allocated to approximately 80 crore beneficiaries during the period of 8 months from April to November in 2020.

In pursuance of the pro-poor measures under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package as part of the economic response to COVID-19, the Government of India launched scheme PMGKAY for additional allocation of foodgrains from the Central Pool at Rs 5 kg per person per month free of cost for all the beneficiaries covered under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and NFSA, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) including those covered under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

( With inputs from ANI )