PMGKAY unlikely to get extended beyond Dec 2022

With an aim to ease strain on government finances, the Department of Expenditure is not in favour of extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beyond December 2022, as per a report in Livemint. The PMGKAY was rolled out in 2020. It has been extended multiple times since then. On account of multiple extensions to the free food programme, the food subsidy burden for 2022-23 is expected to rise to Rs.3.3 trillion from the budgeted target of Rs 2.1 trillion.