PM Garib Kalyan Yojana

PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) was a package of welfare measures announced by the Government of India in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the poor and vulnerable from the economic impact of the lockdown. It included free food grains, cash transfers, insurance for healthcare workers, and other support measures worth Rs 1.7 lakh crore.

What Was the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana Package?

PMGKY was an emergency welfare relief package targeting over 80 crore poor people. The key components announced in March 2020 included:

– **Free food grain**: 5 kg of wheat or rice per person per month for 3 months to all NFSA beneficiaries, over and above normal PDS entitlement
– **Dal (pulses)**: 1 kg of dal per household per month for 3 months
– **PM-KISAN advance**: advance payment of the April instalment for PM-KISAN beneficiaries
– **Jan Dhan account deposits**: Rs 500 per month for three months to women Jan Dhan account holders
– **Free LPG cylinders**: 3 months of free LPG cylinders to Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries
– **COVID-19 insurance**: Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for healthcare workers, sanitation workers, and ASHAs
– **MGNREGS wage hike**: Rs 20 per day increase in MGNREGS wages

PM-GKAY Food Scheme (Extended Version)

The free food grain component was subsequently extended multiple times and became known as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY). It continued providing additional free food grain well beyond the original 3-month plan, eventually running from April 2020 to December 2022. From January 2023, the government merged NFSA and PM-GKAY into a unified free food grain scheme, making NFSA grain free for all beneficiaries for the next five years (through 2028).

Impact

– Over 80 crore people received free food grain during the pandemic period
– Women Jan Dhan account holders received approximately Rs 1,500 in direct benefit transfers
– Healthcare workers received insurance coverage during the high-risk pandemic period
– The scheme prevented large-scale food insecurity during the lockdown period

Practical Example

During the April 2020 lockdown, Reena, a daily wage worker in a city, lost her income. Under PMGKY, she received:
– 15 kg of free grain for her family of three (5 kg x 3 months, over and above normal entitlement)
– Rs 500 in her Jan Dhan account each month for three months
– A free LPG cylinder for her Ujjwala connection
These measures helped her family survive the 2-month lockdown without financial distress.

Key Takeaways

– PMGKY was a Rs 1.7 lakh crore emergency welfare package announced in March 2020 for COVID-19 relief
– Major components included free food grain, cash transfers to women Jan Dhan holders, free LPG, and healthcare worker insurance
– The food grain component evolved into PM-GKAY, which ran through 2022 and was then merged with the regular NFSA as a unified free grain scheme
– Over 80 crore people benefited from the food security component
– PMGKY set the foundation for India’s COVID-19 economic relief framework