The Cabinet has given approval for extending Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana for five more months. Briefing media in New Delhi today, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that under the scheme, five kilogram of Wheat or Rice will be given to every member of the beneficiary family and one kilogram of Chana will be given to each family for five more months.

The Minister said, the scheme will benefit more than 80 crore people in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the extension of the scheme in his address to the nation on 30th of last month. Mr. Modi had said, poor and needy persons will not go hungry in the country and free ration during the rainy and forthcoming festival seasons at the time of current Covid-19 pandemic will be provided to them.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the first phase of the scheme just after the imposition of nationwide lockdown. Under the first phase, free food grains was provided for three months from April this year. The second phase which will last for another five months began from 1st of July and will continue till 30th of November.

Under the second phase, over 200 Lakh Metric Tonnes of grain and 9 lakh 78 thousand Metric Tonnes of Chana will be distributed among the National Food Security Act beneficiaries.  Both the phases of the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana will together incur a total expenditure of nearly 1 lakh 50 thousand crore rupees.