Positive nod for extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana upto November 2020! Know more-

New Delhi, July 8: The Cabinet on Wednesday nodded affirmative over extending Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana upto November this year. Under the scheme 5 kgs of Wheat or Rice to every member of the beneficiary family and 1 kg of Chana for each family will be given free for 5 more months benefitting more than 80 crore people in the country.

 

PM Modi had announced the extension of the scheme in his address to the nation on 30th of last month. "Poor and needy persons will not go hungry in the country and free ration during the rainy and forthcoming festival seasons during the time of current Covid-19 pandemic will be provided to them", he had said.

 

Also Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the first phase of the scheme just after the imposition of nationwide lockdown. Under the first phase free food grains was provided for three months from April this year. The second phase which will last for another five months began from July 1 and will last till November 30.

 

Under the second phase, 200 Lakh Metric Tonnes of grain and 9,78,000 Metric Tonnes of Chana will be distributed among the National Food Security Act beneficiaries. Both the phases of the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana will together incurr a total expenditure of Rs 1,50,000 crore rupees.

 

COVID-19 pandemic has affected the life of everyone across the world. The pandemic has an impact on workforce in general and migrant workers particularly in the country. Government of India realized that in order to provide focused & timely support to returnee migrant workers along with other rural people, a concerted effort is required converging and pooling resources of different schemes/programme of Central Government, focusing on specific actions, laying specific timelines and fixing accountability for results in shape of an Abhiyaan.

 

This Abhiyaan platform would welcome the efforts of Ministries and State Governments for convergent action for higher quantum of benefits to the migrant workers and rural communities. Abhiyaan would set the stage for a longer-term action for a longer-term initiative for jobs and livelihoods for those who chose to stay back.