 "Welfare schemes, rations, poverty, poor, PDS")
In a significant move, the Narendra Modi government on Friday made the distribution of foodgrain through ration shops as part of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) free for the almost 810 million beneficiaries, by merging certain benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) into the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries (who are among the poorest of the poor), who got 35 kg of foodgrain per family per month, would also not have to pay henceforth, officials clarified.
Top sources told Business Standard that the Rs 2-trillion per annum outlay for free
