PM Modi to take call on extending PMGKAY beyond Dec: MoS Agri

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a call on extending the PMGKAY scheme to provide free ration to the poor beyond December, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said on Thursday said stressing that the government has sufficient foodgrains stock.

If Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has to be extended, the decision will be taken by the Cabinet, headed by the prime minister. The Cabinet meeting is scheduled on Friday.

In September, the government had extended PMGKAY for three months till December 31.

“Covid-19 cases are coming. The scheme is till December. …After that, the decision (on extending it) will be taken by the prime minister,” Karandlaje, Minister of State for Agriculture, told reporters.

In last 28 months, the government has spent Rs 1.80 lakh crore on distribution of free ration to the poor under PMGKAY, she said.