A costly decision

Extension of PMGKAY should have been avoided

The Union government’s decision to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for another three months is difficult to justify. Under the scheme, 5 kg of rice or wheat is provided free of cost to eligible beneficiaries. The programme was launched in April 2020 during the initial phase of the pandemic. The move to provide free food grains was rightly applauded then because it provided much-needed support to the most vulnerable sections of the population at a time when economic activity came to a virtual halt, owing to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Its subsequent extensions were also justified on