Lok Sabha Question No. 2325 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-15
Subject: Free Foodgrains under PMGKAY
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Kanumuru, Manne Srinivas Reddy, Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2325

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 15TH MARCH, 2023

## FREE FOODGRAINS UNDER PMGKAY

2325. SHRI KANUMURU RAGHU RAMA KRISHNA RAJU: SHRI MANNE SRINIVAS REDDY: SHRI KOMATI REDDY VENKAT REDDY:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has ensured that no one goes to bed hungry, with a scheme to supply free foodgrains to over 80 crore persons 28 months and is also continuing their commitment to ensure food and nutritional security, and are implementing; from 1st January 2023, a scheme to supply free foodgrains to all Antyodaya and priority households for the next one year, under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for which the entire expenditure of about Rs.2 lakh crore will be borne by the Central Government; for
- (b) if the details thereof; s0,
- (C) the takenlimplementation status in this regard, Stateldistrict-wise covered till now and funds sanctionedlspent and the
- steps being number of beneficiaries identified till date; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWE R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) to (d): To ameliorate the hardship faced by the poor due to economic disruption caused by Covid-19 pandemic and to minimize the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on food security, Government of India in March 2020 had announced the distribution of additional foodgrains, free of cost to about 80 crore beneficiaries (i.e: Antyodaya Anna Yojana Households and Priority Households) covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) at the scale of 5 kg per person per month under the Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): Under this scheme the Government of India allocated a total of about 1118 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) of foodgrains to the StatesIUnion Territories (UTs): The scheme was operational in seven phases. Phase VII of the PMGKAY was in operation upto 31.12.2022.

Keeping in view welfare of the Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries and to relive them from the burden to pay the Central Issue Price of the foodgrains as well as in order to maintain uniformity throughout the States, free foodgrains is being provided to these beneficiaries as per their entitlements under the NFSA, for a period of one year from January, 2023. The entire cost of free foodgrains to NFSA beneficiaries shall be borne by the Government of India: 1st

The Act is being implemented in all the States/UTs and foodgrains free of cost are being provided to about 80 crore beneficiaries in the country: A statement indicating the StatelUT-wise number of beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 is at Annexure. District wise data is not maintained by the Central Government.

*****

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN PART (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2325 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 15.03.2023 REGARDING *FREE FOODGRAINS UNDER PMGKAY"\_

Statement indicating the State /UT-wise number of persons covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

| S1. No.   | States/ UTs                      | Total number of beneficiaries identified under NFSA (in  lakh) As on 28.02.2023   |
|-----------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                   | 268.22                                                                            |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh                | 8.40                                                                              |
|           | Assam                            | 251.17                                                                            |
|           | Bihar                            | 871.16                                                                            |
|           | Chhattisgarh                     | 200.77                                                                            |
|           | Delhi                            | 72.78                                                                             |
| 6         | Goa                              | 5.32                                                                              |
| 8         | Gujarat                          | 344.15                                                                            |
| 9         | Haryana                          |                                                                                   |
| 10        |                                  | 126.49                                                                            |
|           | Himachal Pradesh                 | 28.64                                                                             |
| 11        | Jharkhand                        | 264.12                                                                            |
| 12        | Karnataka                        | 401.93                                                                            |
| 13        | Kerala                           | 154.80                                                                            |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh                   | 511.32                                                                            |
| 15        | Maharashtra                      | 700.17                                                                            |
| 16        | Manipur                          | 20.08                                                                             |
| 17        | Meghalaya                        | 21.46                                                                             |
| 18        | Mizoram                          | 6.68                                                                              |
| 19        | Nagaland                         | 14.05                                                                             |
| 20        | Odisha                           |                                                                                   |
| 21        | Punjab                           | 141.51                                                                            |
| 22        | Rajasthan                        | 440.01                                                                            |
| 23        | Sikkim                           | 3.81                                                                              |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu                       | 364.69                                                                            |
| 25        | Telangana                        | 191.62                                                                            |
| 26        | Tripura                          | 24.32                                                                             |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh                    | 1497.77                                                                           |
| 28        | Uttarakhand                      | 61.94                                                                             |
| 29        | West Bengal                      | 601.84                                                                            |
| 30        | A&N                              | 0.61                                                                              |
| 31        | DNH&DD                           | 2.73                                                                              |
| 32        | Lakshadweep                      | 0.22                                                                              |
| 33 34     | Chandigarh (DBT) Puducherry DBT) | 2.76 6.34                                                                         |
| 35        | J&K                              | 72.41                                                                             |
| 36        | Ladakh                           | 1.44                                                                              |
| Total     | Total                            | 8010.78                                                                           |