Free foodgrain scheme till November has got cabinet approval: Sitharaman

Garib Kalyan Yojana is projected to cost the government an additional expenditure of around Rs 1.4 trillion.

The cabinet has approved a scheme to provide free foodgrain to 800 million poor till the end of November, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Twitter on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 30, had announced a scheme called Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will be extended by five months to ensure that millions of poor in the country get food during the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the festival season is around the corner in India when “requirements as well as expenditure increase”, mentioning Bihar's Chhath Puja twice. Diwali is on November 14, and Chhath Puja, Bihar’s biggest festival, is on November