Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) | Representative image | Photo courtesy: The Probe
On January 1 this year, the Union Government introduced a new comprehensive food security scheme known as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). The objective of this scheme is to provide free foodgrains to beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH), with an estimated reach of over 80 crore individuals. Additionally, the government announced its plan to allocate over two lakh crores rupees in 2023 as food subsidy under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare programs, aiming to alleviate the financial burden faced by the poor and the marginalised sections of society.
Raj Shekhar, the National Coordinator of the Right To Food Campaign speaks to The Probe’s Saksham Agarwal on PMGKAY
Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), all ration cardholders were entitled to 5 kgs of food grain per person. The NFSA had set a price cap for rice at rupees 3 per kg and for wheat at rupees 2 per kg. Thus, prior to the pandemic, economically disadvantaged individuals with ration cards could get 5 kgs of subsidised foodgrain. However, in response to the financial struggles faced by the poor during Covid-19, the government introduced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. This initiative aimed to provide an additional 5 kgs of free foodgrains to every ration cardholder, on top of their existing entitlement of 5 kgs of subsidised foodgrains under the NFSA.
The Probe interviewed various individuals on-site to assess the current situation regarding the quantity of foodgrain being received by people with ration cards. To our astonishment, the ground reality turned out to be quite surprising.
During our visit to a ration shop in Trilokpuri, we were informed that the shop does not operate regularly. The premises were in a state of disarray, with scattered foodgrains and evidence of rat infestation. Residents informed us that the shop was finally undergoing some renovation work.
A ration shop in Trilokpuri with rat holes and foodgrains strewn all around | Photo courtesy: The Probe
During our visit to JJ Colony, we spoke with Mahima Sahani, a resident who shared her experience with the ration she receives. Mahima expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of ration, stating, "We receive rice and wheat under our ration card, but the ratio of rice to wheat is imbalanced. The quality of the ration is poor, often infested with insects and worms. There have been many instances when we received the ration late, and there are even months when we don't receive any ration at all."
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In Sector 18, Noida, we met Mohammed Abu Zar, a daily wage worker at a tailor shop. Zar shared his struggles with the ration system, highlighting both the quality and availability issues. According to Zar, despite being entitled to 5 kgs of free foodgrain, the dealer retains a portion of it and the quality of the ration is a constant worry.
Krishna, a nearby shopkeeper, informed us that a ration shop owner had demanded 3000 rupees for making a new ration card. Vijender Kumar, who works at a fair price shop in Kusumpur Pahari, lamented that the quantity of ration received from the government has significantly decreased this year.
Mohammed Abu Zar, a daily wage worker at a tailor shop in Sector 18, Noida tells us that the ration dealer retains a portion of the ration and the quality of foodgrain is a constant worry | Photo courtesy: The Probe
While the government's decision to reduce the ration allocation appears to be a significant issue, we discovered numerous other challenges on the ground. These include ration shops not opening, providing poor quality ration, shopkeepers demanding bribes for issuing ration cards, misappropriation of public ration supplies amongst others. Raj Shekar states that one of the most critical yet overlooked problems is the exclusion of numerous individuals from the National Food Security Act (NFSA) due to the government's inability to update the list.
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“The ration card issuance is based on the NFSA list, which, in turn, relies on the 2011 census. However, we are currently in 2023, and according to regulations, a census should be conducted every 10 years. Unfortunately, the census could not be carried out in 2021, resulting in the inability to prepare a new NFSA list because of which more than 10 crore families are now excluded from the food security safety net. This stands as one of the most severe crises in our country and is a key factor contributing to the prevailing food insecurity in India," asserts Raj Shekhar.
Raj Shekhar adds, "The delay in distributing ration across the country is due to the implementation of biometric authentication, which is being carried out through Aadhar cards. In the name of transparency, Aadhar cards are being used in a manner that facilitates exclusion by the government".
Sanjay, a resident of Kusumpur Pahari speaks about the poor quality of ration | Photo courtesy: The Probe
In 2014-15, Kumar chaired a committee focused on the restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). He narrates, "The committee concluded that agriculture in India is not a profitable business for farmers. Therefore, we recommended providing income support to farmers, as practised in various other parts of the world. Additionally, we proposed that subsidised food under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) should be exclusively allocated to the poor rather than being distributed as freebies to a large segment of the population. In fact, our recommendation was that those eligible for subsidised food under the NFSA should not exceed 40 per cent of the total population. Even today, there are approximately 19 crore impoverished Indians who go to bed hungry. This situation can only be improved when the government focuses on lifting these 19 crore individuals out of poverty."
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Taramani notes that despite the death of Santoshi Kumari, not much has changed in Jharkhand. She provides a recent example from the same village, where a poor family had five members falsely declared as deceased, resulting in the cancellation of their ration cards. Today, the family lacks access to ration and faces extreme marginalisation. “Not just this family, I keep coming across numerous instances of families being in utter poverty because they don’t have a ration card. Those that have one, doesn’t get adequate ration and there are also cases where people who do receive ration face “ration-cuts” at the dealer level,” says Taramani.
The truth about how much food grain the ration card holder will now receive under PMGKAY may just be one of the many problems affecting the poor and marginalised people of the country. On the ground, they face numerous other issues that paint a bleak picture of the food security situation in India. Moreover, the exclusion of millions of families from the NFSA worsens the current situation and should serve as a wake-up call to the government.
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