80 crore people to get free ration till Diwali: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana  (PMGKAY) will now be extended till Diwali.

''When the lockdown had to be imposed last year, 80 crore countrymen were given free ration for 8 months under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana,'' the Prime Minister said while addressing the nation.

Due to the second wave of the COVID-19, this scheme was extended for May and June also, he said.

''Today, the government has decided that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will now be extended till Diwali,'' the Prime Minister said.

''That is, by November, more than 80 crore countrymen will get free food grains in fixed quantities every month,'' he said. (UNI)