Centre distributed free foodgrains, pulses, chana worth Rs 1.38 lakh crore during COVID-19

The Centre allocated around 121 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of free foodgrain under PMGKAY-I (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) at the financial cost of around Rs 46,061 crore, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Danve Raosaheb Dadarao said on Tuesday, February 9.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, the minister added that around 5.65 LMT of pulses was also dispensed free of cost and funds allocated for pulses under PMGKAY was around Rs 5,000 crore.

During PMGKAY-II around 201 LMT of foodgrains was allocated free of cost at the financial cost of approximately Rs 76,062.11 crore and about 8.82 LMT whole chana was also doled out free of cost at a cost of around Rs 6,999.24 crore.

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"Under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package (ANBP), this department made allocation of about total 8 LMT of additional food-grain free of cost entailing subsidy of about Rs. 3,109.52 crore and about 27,001.19 MT whole chana was allocated for free of cost. Funds allocated under ANBP for distribution of chana is about Rs. 280.00 crore," the minister stated in the written reply.

In March 2020, the government had announced distribution of 5 kg of foodgrains for free under PMGKAY to ration card holders for three months as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides foodgrains, 1 kg pulses per beneficiary family were also distributed, free of cost to all beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), covering 19.4 crore households. This was over and above the subsidised grains given under the NFSA.

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