The food scheme proved to be lifesaving for the poor during the corona epidemic , said IMF

Rating agency International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again praised the Modi government. According to the IMF, the work done by the central government during Corona is very appreciable. In one of its reports, the IMF has said that India has handled the threat of increase in extreme poverty very well through the food security scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in Corona.

A new IMF report found that extreme poverty (PPP is less than 1.9 per capita per day) in India is less than 1 per cent in 2019 and the pandemic has remained at that level through 2020. The food security scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), has been instrumental in preventing any increase in extreme poverty levels in India during the coronavirus pandemic, the report said. The report said for the first time that food subsidies have had an impact on poverty and inequality.

The IMF report said that the PMGKAY was important for preventing any increase in the level of extreme poverty in India, but it was also brilliant for giving strength to the poor to bear the loss of income due to Corona. The report said that the food entitlement was doubled during this period, which benefitted the lower strata.