Centre to extend free ration scheme for next 5 years: PM Modi

Guwahati: In a move that can be seen as a major step to woo voters for the next Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the government has decided to provide free food grains to more than 80 crore people for the next five years.

“I have decided that the BJP government will extend the scheme of providing free rations to 80 crore poor people in the country for the next 5 years. Your love and blessings always give me the strength to make sacred decisions,” PM Modi said.

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The prime minister was addressing a public rally in poll-bound Chhattisgarh when he took a swipe at the Congress, accusing it of prioritising financial gains and frequently engaging in corrupt activities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was introduced, under which the government supplied 5 kg of food grain free of cost to individuals.

This was in addition to the regular quota of food grains given under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The Centre introduced the NFSA in July 2013, bestowing a legal entitlement upon 67 per cent of the population (75 per cent in rural areas and 50 per cent in urban areas) to receive substantially subsidised food grain.