Centre may have enough stocks to run free grain scheme this financial year

But financial considerations remain, especially if disinvestment receipts don't meet Budget target

As the Centre set out to decide on extending the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) free foodgrain distribution scheme for the seventh time, it faced two main challenges.

One was the fiscal consideration, given the jump in subsidy burden that another extension would entail, and the second was something the country has seldom faced in recent years, the foodgrain stock position.

The fact that it chose a limited expansion for three months shows that there are concerns on both the fiscal and grain stock fronts.

Between the two, a back of the envelope calculation done by traders and