Lok Sabha Question No. 493 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Free Foodgrains under PMGKAY
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram, Dr. Shivaji Bandappa Kalge, Shri Gyaneshwar Patil, Smt. Delkar Kalaben Mohanbhai

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 493

TO BE ANSWERED ON 23RD JULY, 2025

## FREE FOODGRAINS UNDER PMGKAY

## t493. DR. SHIVAJI BANDAPPA KALGE:

SHRI GYANESHWAR PATIL :

SHRI BHUMARE SANDIPANRAO ASARAM:

SMT. DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details of  the number of  beneficiaries receiving free  foodgrains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)  during the current year till  date as compared to last five years;
- (b) the impact of  PMGKAY in ensuring food security among the economically weaker sections particularly ofDadra and Nagar Haveli;
- (c) the measures taken by the Government to  strengthen the logistics and supply chain mechanism for uninterrupted foodgrain distribution  under PMGKAY  in various States/UTs including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Union Territory ofDadra  and Nagar Haveli; and
- (d) the details of  technological  interventions  integrated to  ensure transparency and reduce leakages in PMGKAY  distribution?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): A  Statement indicating  the number of beneficiaries covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)  during last five years in the country is as follows:

| Financial Year                |   Number of beneficiaries covered under PMGKAY (in lakh) |
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| 2020-21 (As on 3 1.03.202 1)  |                                                  7932.8  |
| 2021 -22 (As on 3 1.03.2022)  |                                                  7972.53 |
| -2022-2 i (As on 3 1.03.2023) |                                                  8010.7  |
| 2023-24 (As on 3 1.03.2024)   |                                                  8049.94 |
| 2024-25 (As on 31.03.2025)    |                                                  8056.05 |
| 2025-26 (As on 01.07.2025)    |                                                  8056.05 |

(b): The  Pradhan  Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana  (PMGKAY) being successfully implemented in  all  the States/UTs including Union Territory  of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, supplement the food requirements of  upto 75% of  the rural and upto 50% of  the urban population, which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore persons Under the PMGKAY,  while Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  households, which  constitute poorest of the poor are entitled to  35 kg  of  foodgrains, per household per month, Priority  Households (PHH)  are entitled to  5 kg of foodgrains per person per month free of cost. At  present, against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore, 80.56 crore beneficiaries  are receiving  foodgrains  free of cost.

The Central Government, in  order to  remove the  financial  burden of  the  poor beneficiaries and to  ensure nationwide uniformity and effective implementation of  the programme for  support of the poor, had decided to provide free of  cost foodgrains to beneficiaries, beginning from  lst  January 2023 under the PMGKAY. The period fOI distribution  of  free of cost foodgrains  has been extended for five  years from  Ist  January, 2024.

Under the PMGKAY,  the coverage of beneficiaries is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. Provision of free foodgrains mitigate financial hardship of the affected strata of society in a sustainable manner and ensure long term pricing strategy with zero cost to the beneficiaries.

In  Urban  areas of  Dadra  and Nagar  Haveli (Silvassa  Municipal and Dadra  Panchayat), the PMGKAY  is being implemented in Direct  Cash Transfer Mode in which  Cash equivalent to Food Subsidy (i.e. Rs. 43.28/- per Kg  for Rice and Rs.30.3 1/- per Kg  for Wheat) is provided directly  into the bank account of  beneficiaries. In  remaining part of  the UT  of  DNH&DD, the free of cost  foodgrains are being distributed to the beneficiaries.

(c): Targeted Public Distribution  System (TPDS) is now governed as per the provisions  of the Natidnal Food Security Act,  2013 (NFSA),  which  is operated under the joint  responsibility of  the  Central and  State/Union Territory  (UT)  Governments.  Central  Government is responsible for  procurement, allocation  and transportation of foodgrains upto  the designated depots of  the Food Corporation of  India.  The operational responsibilities for  allocation of foodgrains within the States/UTs, distribution of foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries under TPDS and supervision over and monitoring of functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs), etc rest with  the concenred State/UT Government.

(d): in  consonance with  Section 12 of the National Food Security Act,  (NFSA), 2013 the reforms  undertaken in  TDPS  to  ensure transparency and reduce leakage in  PMGKAY distribution include digitization Qf ration  cards /  beneficiaries database, seeding of  unique identification numbers  (Aadhaar) in digitized database,  online allocation of foodgrains, computerization of  Supply Chain Management, automation of Fair Price Shops, portability  of ratiod  cards,  full  transparency of  records and putting  in place a strong Grievance redressal machinery .

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