Barely every week earlier than the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) ends, a parliamentary standing committee has requested the Food Ministry to make an “objective assessment” and discover out to what extent the scheme has helped beneficiaries and for the way lengthy it must be continued.
While “applauding” the Center for launching PMGKAY, the Committee mentioned the ministry had “not carried out or proposed a study or an objective assessment” of the foodgrains scheme launched in 2020 as the federal government’s financial response to the Covid pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole nation in a number of methods. It has impacted the meals supply system with direct and oblique penalties on lives and livelihood of individuals, particularly probably the most weak sections of the society,” mentioned a report of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Committee is headed by TMC chief and MP, Sudip Bandyopadhyay
The PMGKAY offered a further 5 kilograms of foodgrains per 30 days to beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act.
Spread over 5 phases, with a complete allocation of Rs 759.22 lakh tonnes and monetary implication pegged at Rs 2.68 lakh crore, the scheme is scheduled to finish March 31, 2022.
The Food Ministry had earlier knowledgeable the Standing Committee extension of the scheme past March, 2022, could be thought of by it “based on the prevailing situation” within the nation.
Observing that meals subsidy is “still very high” and there’s “scope to reduce it further”, the Committee has requested the meals division to optimize the Food Subsidy Bill.
While doing so, nevertheless, the division might not compromise the calls for of beneficiaries and likewise the preparedness for unwarranted conditions corresponding to Covid-19, it mentioned.
The Committee additionally expressed considerations on the large dues owed to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by some departments.
“The Committee notes with concern that a large amount of dues are outstanding against the Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) on account of foodgrains provided to them by FCI for various welfare schemes on payment basis,” the report mentioned.
“The Committee feels that the inability to liquidate the outstanding dues of FCI over the years would adversely affect the functioning of FCI and put burden on the ever-rising Food Subsidy Bill,” the report mentioned.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
