The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is a food security welfare scheme announced by the Government of India on March 26, 2020, as part of the larger Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package. It was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the economic hardship and income shocks on the poor by ensuring the availability of adequate foodgrains. The scheme's initial purpose was to provide urgent relief to vulnerable households during the unprecedented crisis.
The scheme works by providing free-of-cost foodgrains to beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Specifically, it targets the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Households (PHH). Under the key provision, each beneficiary receives 5 kg of foodgrains (rice or wheat) per person per month. This allocation was initially over and above the regular subsidized monthly entitlements under the NFSA, effectively doubling the quantity of foodgrains for NFSA households. The scheme is operated by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It connects directly to the NFSA, 2013, and its implementation leverages the existing Public Distribution System (PDS) network and the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) system, which ensures portability of entitlements across the country.
The PMGKAY has undergone a significant change: it was initially a temporary, additional allocation. However, in January 2023, the scheme was integrated with the NFSA, and the government decided to provide the entire NFSA entitlement—35 kg per AAY household and 5 kg per person per month for PHH—free of cost. This replaced the earlier system where NFSA foodgrains were subsidized at prices like ₹3/kg for rice and ₹2/kg for wheat. The Central Government has extended this provision of free foodgrains under PMGKAY for a period of five years, effective from January 1, 2024, until December 2028.