Modi Govt Extends Free Ration Scheme Till Dec 2028, 81 Crore Indians To Get Free Ration

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), the Centre will continue to provide free ration to 81 crore citizens till December 2028, said Union Minister Anurag Thakur after the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday.

Briefing the media, Anurag Thakur informed that the extension of PMGKAY will cost around Rs 11.8 lakh crore.

The promise to extend the distribution of free ration scheme for five years was made by PM Modi at an election rally in Chhattisgarh earlier this month.

Answering a concern about food subsidies and funds for free ration, Thakur said the budget is not a problem for the central government, everything has been taken care of.

"In the last five years, around 13.50 crore Indians rose above the poverty level. This is a big achievement of the Modi Government. Similarly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was introduced. It was decided that this scheme would be extended for the next five years with effect from 1st January 2024," Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.

The scheme was initially started for 3 months during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to provide free food grains to the poor. Under PMGKAY families below the poverty line get 5 kg grains every month. The government later decided to continue it as the poor were facing difficulties in getting jobs to earn their livelihood.

PM Modi-led cabinet has also approved a central scheme to provide drones to 15,000 women Self Help Groups (SHGs) for agricultural use. This initiative would cost an outlay of ₹1,261 crore.

"The scheme aims to provide drones to 15,000 selected women SHGs during the period 2024-25 to 2025-2026 for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purposes," Thakur said.