Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY): Objectives & Eligibility for UPSC

The PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) is a comprehensive welfare scheme launched by the Government of India to support the country's economically vulnerable populations, particularly in times of crisis. Introduced in March 2020 in response to the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the scheme was designed to provide immediate relief to the poorest sections of society. The main agenda of it was providing proper financial support, food supply, and other necessary assistance to the underprivileged sections of the society. With all the measures taken under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, the scheme has been laid down to ensure that vulnerable families, daily wage workers, and migrant laborers received the necessary assistance to carry on with their lives during tough times. The allocation of a huge amount by the government for the scheme is towards ensuring food security, social welfare, and preventing any further economic degradation in the country. PM Garib Kalyan Yojana is one of the most significant steers undertaken by the government to combat poverty and hunger at the time of national crisis with its different components.

This topic is relevant for the UPSC Civil Services Examination under General Studies Paper II, specifically in the sections concerning Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations. 

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Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) is a government scheme launched in India. It provides relief and support to the economically vulnerable sections of society during challenging times. It aims to alleviate the hardships faced by the poor and underprivileged by offering various welfare measures and benefits. The scheme includes provisions for free food grains, cash transfers, insurance coverage, and other essential services. It ensures the well-being of those in need, particularly during times of crisis or unforeseen circumstances.

Objectives of PMGKY

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) was launched in 2016 with two main objectives: to curb black money and to initiate income equality.

• To achieve the first objective, the PMGKY offered a one-time opportunity for tax evaders to disclose their unaccounted wealth without facing any penalty or prosecution. The government would charge a tax of 49.9% on the disclosed amount.
• The PMGKY was extended in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic devastated the Indian economy, and the government wanted to provide financial assistance to the poor and vulnerable.

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The individuals eligible for relief under the 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP)' include:

• All Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
• Families identified under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) by States/UTs based on criteria set by the central government.
• State Governments/Union Territory Administrations identify Priority Households (PHH) based on criteria prepared by States/UTs.

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Some of the salient features of the scheme include the following:

• The scheme provides five kilograms of free wheat/rice to more than 80 crore people, and each family is provided with 1 kg of free whole chana per month.
• The scheme provides free cylinders to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families for three months, per the announcement by the Finance Minister of India.
• Under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) scheme, the individual must pay 50% of the untaxed amount.
• The PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) provides employment opportunities to people experiencing poverty. For this purpose, Rs 50,000 crore has been spent till now.
• PMGKY provides Rs 50 lakh insurance coverage to frontline workers.
• The PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) covers as many as 22 lakh health workers.
• The undisclosed wealth and black money can be declared in a confidential manner. Undisclosed income can be in cash or a deposit in an account such as a bank, post office, etc. If the individual agrees to pay 50% of the undisclosed income, the scheme helps to avoid prosecution.
• The scheme also has a provision of investing 25% of the undisclosed income in the PMGKY scheme. This will be refunded without interest after four years.

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Some of the major advantages of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana include the following:

• Financial Inclusion: This is a scheme highly beneficial for the poorest sections in terms of direct financial support, ensuring that no one is left behind in this journey of economic progress.
• Food Security: The free food grains distributed to needy citizens ensure no hungry stomachs contribute towards malnutrition, especially at disaster phases like the COVID-19 pandemic, for betterment in public health.
• Social Security Measures: It is insurance, a pension scheme, and hence, therefore, leads to future security of the vulnerable sections of society like farmers, migrant workers, and people earning on a day-to-day wage basis.
• Rural Economy Boost: The program encourages rural employment and income generation basis through MGNREGA and thus boosts the rural economy.
• Health Benefits: The Ayushman Bharat Scheme provides health insurance coverage to economically weaker sections. This should further promote greater access to essential healthcare services.
• Women Empowerment: The financial assistance in the form of subsidies for LPG cylinders improves the socio-economic status of women as far as health is concerned and also empowers them to participate more actively in economic activities.
• Socioeconomic Relief in Crisis Situations: From prompt monetary assistance and up to definite availments of services in emergency scenarios such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the scheme provides immediate relief to distressed populations while maintaining socio-economic stability.

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Some of the major issues associated with PMGKY include the following:

• Ineffective Implementation: In fact, implementation of the plan runs into delays and inefficiencies on grounds of bureaucratic administration since there is hardly a smooth pattern of timely delivery to beneficiaries.
• Insufficient Coverage: Although the scheme has wide coverage objectives, a number of people doubt its actual outreach because many beneficiaries have been reported to be left out due to lack of proper identification and documentation.
• Fund Allocation and Utilization: There have been some deficiencies reported in the allocation of sufficient funds, mismanagement of the same leading to a partial coverage of some components of the scheme, especially in rural areas.
• Lack of awareness: Lack of awareness among beneficiaries about their entitlements under the scheme leads to poor utilization of the available resources.
• Corruption and Leakages: There is corruption at every other administrative level, and leakages in the delivery system result in resources not reaching the actual beneficiaries, defeating the very purpose of this scheme.
• Digital Infrastructure Dependence: Besides, the distribution and monitoring of the scheme depend on digital platforms, which are faced by low internet connectivity and low digital literacy in many regions, especially rural areas.
• Adhoc Measures: While it may succeed in providing immediate relief, there is less focus on long-term sustainable development and structural poverty alleviation in the Scheme, hence temporary fixes rather than lasting solutions.

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