Modi govt to provide free food grains to poor under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana in May, June

Officials said 5-kg free food grains per person per month will be given to around 80 crore people for the two months and govt will spend more than Rs 26,000 crore on this initiative.

Representational image | People stand in a queue to collect free food during coronavirus lockdown, in Shahpur Jat area of New Delhi in March 2020| PTI

New Delhi: The government will provide free food grains to the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana in May and June, officials said on Friday.

They said 5-kg free food grains per person per month would be given to around 80 crore people for the two months.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the poor, the government has decided to provide free food grains to about 80 crore beneficiaries as was done during the coronavirus-induced lockdown last year, the officials said.

PM Modi stressed that it is important that the poor have nutritional support when the country is facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

Food and Public Distribution secretary Sudhanshu Pandey told PTI that 80 crore PDS beneficiaries will get the benefit to tide over the impact of the pandemic.

The Government of India would spend more than Rs 26,000 crore on this initiative, they said.