The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday approved extension of ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)’ by 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 spent approximately Rs 2.60 lakh crore so far on the scheme and another Rs 80,000 crore will be spent over the next six months till September 2022, taking the total expenditure under PMGKAY to nearly Rs 3.40 lakh crore.