New Delhi:The government on Friday decided to resume providing free food grains to the poor in May and June to help them tide over the economic hardship in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
"We will provide 5-kg additional food grains for free to PDS beneficiaries under the PMGKAY for two months -- May and June. This time, we are not providing pulses under this scheme," Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey told reporters.
Read:|States seek free grain supply from Centre amid COVID surge
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) was announced in 2020 for three months till July and later extended till November to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poor.
Under the scheme, additional 5 kg wheat and rice along with 1 kg pulses to each family per month were provided to beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). But this year, only grains will be given.
Free grains -- which will be distributed on the same pattern as earlier -- will be given to 80 crore beneficiaries. The free grains will be over and above the monthly entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), he said.