PTI

New Delhi, April 13

The Centre has launched Rs 2,94,718 crore in direction of meals subsidy over the last fiscal to Food Corporation of India (FCI) and states, which is barely larger than the revised funds estimates.

During the monetary 12 months 2021-22, the Department of Food & Public Distribution launched Rs 2,94,718 crore in direction of meals subsidy, beneath each DCP (decentralised procurement) and non-DCP operations put collectively, in opposition to the revised Estimates of Rs 2,92,419.11 crore.

“This release of food subsidy is about 140% of the food subsidy released during 2020-21 and about 267 per cent of the food subsidy released during 2019-20,” an official assertion mentioned.

The subsidy has been launched for procurement operations beneath MSP (minimal help worth) and seamless distribution of meals grains beneath the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA).

In the final fiscal, the division spent 99.83 per cent of its expenditure by incurring Rs 3,04,361 crores in opposition to internet allocation of Rs 3,04,879 crore.

The division “always look forward to ensure that the benefits of its schemes reach out to various vulnerable sections of the society,” the assertion mentioned.

In this course, throughout monetary 12 months 2021-22, the division launched about Rs 24,000 crore for the good thing about Scheduled Castes, Rs 12,000 crore for Scheduled Tribes and greater than Rs 400 crore for North Eastern Region.

In order to handle the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre launched extra meals grain freed from value at 5 kg per individual monthly to greater than 80 crore National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries beneath Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), which is over and above their entitlement of meals grain beneath the NFSA.

This extra allocation has been made in 5 phases so removed from April 2020 to March 2022.

“Since inception, a total of 758 lakh tonnes of food grain has been allocated under the scheme with financial implication of Rs 2.60 lakh crore. PMGKAY has now been extended till September, 2022, which will involve an additional allocation of 244 lakh tonnes of food grain with additional financial implication of about Rs 80,851 crore,” the assertion mentioned.