NEW DELHI: By discontinuing the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY), the government has cut the ration entitlement of 81 crore poor people by 50 per cent in the new year, alleged the Congress on Tuesday. On December 23, 2022, the Union government announced that it would discontinue PMGKAY from January 1, 2023. The government had announced that it would provide free foodgrains to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, 2013, as per their entitlement, for a year beginning January 2023.
Criticising the government decision, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the PM has taken the regressive decision without any consultation with state governments nor any discussion was held in the Parliament.
“2023 began with the depressing news that PM Modi’s Cabinet has discontinued the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which provided 5 kg of food grains to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). For the past two years, 81 crore Indians were eligible for 10 kg of food grains, but now get they only 5 kg a sudden reduction of rations by 50%,” he said.
The government launched the PMGKAY in April 2020 as a relief measure during Covid-19 pandemic. Under the scheme, 5 kg of free foodgrains was provided to every person on top of the NFSA entitlement at subsidised rates. Ramesh said that the government is falsely trumpeting the free 5 kg of grains under the NFSA as a historic decision benefiting the poor. “The main beneficiary, however, is the government which will save over Rs 1 lakh crore, and not ration card holders whose spending will increase,” he said.
The Congress spokesperson claimed that now a family of five is forced to spend around Rs 750 more every month, which is around Rs 9,000 more every year. The NFSA covers about 81.35 crore people. While briefing the Cabinet decision in December, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said 5 kg of food grains per person to Priority Households (PHH) beneficiaries and 35 kg per household to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries (poorest of the poor) will be provided free of cost for the year 2023.
“There is no need for additional foodgrains,” he had said. “The government was forced to provide extra rations during pandemic due to the deep economic distress. This distress still prevails today. The ‘Hunger Watch” survey finds that 80% of people report some form of food insecurity, and India now ranks 107 of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index,” said Ramesh.
He also termed the PM Modi as a ‘master of U-turn’, alleging that he opposed schemes like MGNREGA and NFSA during UPA, but now claiming credit for them. Ramesh also shared a letter written by Modi, who was the Gujarat CM in 2013. The letter addressed to the then PM Manmohan Singh severely criticised the shortcomings of NFSA.
Grain of concern
The government launched the PMGKAY in April 2020 as a relief measure during Covid-19 pandemic
Under the scheme, 5 kg of free foodgrains was provided to every person on top of the NFSA entitlement at subsidised rates
The Congress alleges that the government has cut the ration entitlement of 81 crore poor people by 50 per cent in the new year