Budget 2023's allocations for most critical social security schemes have declined in real terms, says economist Jean Dreze - IndiaSpend The last full Union budget before the next general elections in 2024, which was presented on February 1, gets "a big zero" in terms of welfare spending from economist and social activist Jean Dreze. Budget allocations for most critical social security schemes have declined in real terms, Dreze said. The Union government withdrew...

-Scroll.in The sugar-coated termination of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana calls for an urgent expansion of alternative social security measures. Much confusion surrounds the Modi government’s recent move to modify the foodgrain entitlements of National Food Security Act cardholders from January 1, 2023 onwards. The move actually has two steps, cleverly synchronised. The first step consists of waiving, for one year, the token payments that National Food Security Act, or NFSA, cardholders...

-The Hindu On December 23, 2022, the Union government announced that it would discontinue the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) from January 1, 2023.  Withdrawing the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), under which an extra 5 kg of free foodgrains was provided to every ration card holder in addition to the entitlement under the National Food Security Act, is a regressive step and will force poor families to...

- Press release by Right to Food campaign dated 30 December, 2022 The Right to Food campaign has demanded that the government should restore the grain entitlements granted under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). On 23 December, 2022 the Union government announced that it would discontinue the PMGKAY from 1 January, 2023, thus halving the ration entitlements of eligible people.  Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, (NFSA), all priority category ration cardholders...

-Moneycontrol.com The free and subsidised grains are an implicit income transfer to people and ensure basic protection from starvation The distribution of free grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS) under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been one of the main relief measures undertaken by the Indian government in response to the economic distress brought about by the Covid pandemic. From April 2020 until the end of 2022,...