New Delhi: Presently, more than 80 crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) beneficiaries are getting benefits of free foodgrains across the country, Central government today the Rajya Sabha on Friday (February 9). Sharing state-wise data of PMGKAY, Minister of State for Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said a total of 8,049.94 lakh people are getting benefits of PMGKAY as of January 31, 2024.
As per the data, these beneficiaries belong to 237.31 lakh families across the country with a maximum of 40.88 lakh families from Uttar Pradesh, 25.5 lakh from Maharashtra, 25.1 lakh from Bihar, 18.64 lahks from Tamil Nadu, 16.42 lakh from West Bengal, 14.63 lakh from Madhya Pradesh, 11.54 lakh from Odisha, 10.97 lakh from Karnataka, 9.08 lakh from Andhra Pradesh, 8.94 lakh from Jharkhand, 7.73 lakh from Gujarat, 7.19 lakh from Chhattisgarh, 6.92 lakh from Assam, 6.29 lakh from Rajasthan, 5.96 lakh from Kerala, 5.67 lakh from Telangana, 2.68 lakh from Haryana, 2.33 lakh from Jammu and Kashmir and 1.82 lakh families from Himachal Pradesh among others.
Of the total beneficiaries, 1505.19 lakh people belong to Uttar Pradesh followed by 871.16 lakh from Bihar, 700.17 lakh from Maharashtra, 601.84 lakh from West Bengal, 534.79 lakh from Madhya Pradesh, 440.01 lakh from Rajasthan, 401.93 lakh from Karnataka, 364.12 lakh from Tamil Nadu, 351.60 lah from Gujarat, 325.98 lakh from Odisha, 268.22 lakh from Andhra Pradesh, 264.19 lakh from Jharkhand, 251.17 lakh from Assam, 200.77 lakh from Chhattisgarh, 191.62 lakh from Telangana, 154.80 lakh from Kerala, 141.45 lakh from Punjab, 126.49 lakh from Haryana, 72.78 from Delhi, 72.41 lakh from Jammu and Kashmir, and 61.94 lakh from Uttarakhand among others.
Replying to the queries of Independent MP Kartikeya Sharma in writing, the MoS said under Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms, ration cards and beneficiaries database have been completely digitized in all States and the Union Territories, transparency portal and online grievance redressal facility and toll-free number have been implemented in all states and UTs.
The minister said,
Further online allocation has been implemented in all states and UTs (except UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry which have adopted Direct Benefit Transfer and Cash Transfer scheme) and supply chain has been computerized in 31 states and UTs.
Presently, she said, 99.8 per cent of ration cards are seeded with an Aadhaar number at the national level and almost all FPSs have been automated by the installation of e-PoS devices for the distribution of food grains in a transparent manner (electronically) through biometric and Aadhaar authentication of PMGKAY beneficiaries.
Also Read: Opinion: Community And Women-Focused Resilience Models Way Forward For Food Security
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
